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THE  LIFE 


OK 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


BY  P.  C.  HEADLEY, 

AUTHOR  OF  "life  OF  THE    EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE,"  ETa 


NEW  YORK: 
C.  M.   SAXTON,  BARKER   &  CO. 
SAN  FRANCISCO :  H.  H.  BANCROFT  &  CO. 
1  860. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-three,  by 
Derby  and  Miller, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Northern  District  of  New- York. 


STKREOT-iTED  BY 
D  Z  U  »  Y   A  X  D    M  1  L  L  3  8, 
AUBUliN. 


Jimn. 
^55 


PREFACE. 


The  universal  interest  felt  in  the  romantic  and  tragical  career 
of  Mary  Stuart,  seemed  to  demand  an  American  biography, 
adapted  to  the  popular  mind.  Such  a  work  the  one  now  offered 
to  the  public  was  designed  to  be.  The  authors  mainly  consulted 
and  quoted  are,  Mrs.  Strickland,  Miss,  Benger,  Mignet,  'Mo 
Crie,  and  Hume.  Some  of  these  historians,  in  their  unquali- 
fied and  extravagant  admiration  of  the  Queen  of  Scots,  apolo- 
gize for  every  fault,  and  illustrate  glowingly  every  virtue. 
Others  lean  to  the  defence  of  Elizabeth,  at  the  expense  of  Ma- 
ry s  cause.' 

Both  extremes  have  been  avoided  in  purpose,  if  not  in  fact, 
in  this  biography.  Less  pure  and  loving  than  Josephine,  Ma- 
ry Stuart  was  more  beautiful,  and  tossed  on  more  tempestuous 
seas ;  a  weary  captive,  she  laid  at  length  her  crowned  head  on 
the  executioner's  block,  affording  an  historical  record,  and  a 
moral  lesson,  none  can  contemplate  without  benefit  to  the  in 
tellect  and  to  the  heart. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

T 

Persunal  and  historical  interest  of  Mary's  life  —  Her  ancestry  — 
Circumstances  of  her  birth  —  Death  of  James  V.  —  Henry 
YIII.  of  England,  solicits  the  hand  of  Mary  Stuart  for  the 
young  Prince  of  Wales — Mary's  coronation — The  treaty 
with  England  broken,  and  an  alliance  with  France  formed  — 
"War  is  declared  by  King  Henry  —  Upon  the  death  of  Henry, 
Somerset  becomes  Protector — He  prosecutes  the  plans  of  his 
late  King  —  Battle  of  Pinkie  —  Mary's  removal  to  Inchma- 
home  —  She  sails  for  France  —  Her  arrival  —  Her  residence  in 
the  Convent  —  She  is  removed  to  the  Palace  —  The  Court  of 
Henry  U. —  Mary's  education  —  Letter  to  her  Mother  —  Inci- 
dents—  Her  beauty  and  accomplishments  —  Her  character  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  

CHAPTER  n. 

Tlio  Dauphin  —  Mary's  attachment  to  him — The  treacherous 
conditions  of  marriage  — The  magnificent  nuptials — The 
Commissioners'  return  to  Scotland  —  Rejoicings  and  develop- 
ments —  Elizabeth  ascends  the  Throne  of  England  —  Her  per- 
son and  character  —  Henry  of  France  makes  her  the  rival  of 
Mary  Stuart  —  Changes  in  the  French  Court  — Death  of  Hen- 
ry II. —  Results  —  The  Dauphin's  joy  at  his  elevation  to  the 
Throne  —  The  condition  of  affairs  in  Scotland  —  The  Regent's 
death  —  Treaty  of  peace  —  Death  of  Francis  II. — Mary's 


Vi  C02sTEXTS. 

Jlcrnrning — Elizabeth's  condolence  —  Foreign  Ambassadors 

—  Catherine's  jealousy — Mary  prepares  to  return  to  Scot- 
hind —  Letter  of  the  Laird  of  Lethington  —  Negotiations  — 
The  Queen's  journey  ings  —  Elizabeth  refuses  a  safe  conduct 

—  Mary's  departure  —  Her  adieu,  36 


CHAPTER  111. 

The  voyage— Mary  arrives  at  Leith  —  Popular  rejoicings  — 
Tohn  Knos  — Mary's  religious  concessions  —  Her  public  en- 
try into  Edinburgh  —  Interview  with  John  Knox  —  The  com- 
promise —  Lord  James  Stuart  —  Life  at  Hofyrood  —  Conspir- 
acies and  revolt  —  Mary  heads  an  army  — Another  interview 
witli  Knox  —  Corres})ondence  with  Elizabeth  —  Proposed 
meeting  of  the  Sovereigns  —  Traits  of  character  —  Scenes  in 
the  Palace  —  Lovers  —  Lords  Dudley  and  Darnley  —  Negotia- 
tions— James  Melvil's  mission  —  Randolph's  visit  to  St.  An- 
drews—  The  result  —  Murray 'a  conspiracy  and  revolt  —  The 
wedding,  78 


CIIAPTEU  IV. 

The  iraraediate  results  of  Mary's  marriage  with  Darnle}'  — 
Campaign  against  Murray  —  Mary  Stuart  is  victorious — She 
writes  to  Archbishop  of  Glasgow  — Issues  a  proclamation  — 
She  discloses  her  plans  for  restoring  the  Catholic  faith  —  Let- 
ter to  Philip  XL,  of  Spain  —  Mary  marching  a  third  time 
against  Murray,  totally  routs  his  faction  —  He  flies  to  Eng- 
land—  Elizabeth  extorts  a  confession  that  she  did  not  en- 
courage l.ie  rebellion  —  Mary's  policy  —  Rizzio's  elevation  — 
Daridey  loses  the  Queen's  confidence  —  His  aspirations  — 
Darnley  plots  Rizzio's  death  —  Tlie  tragedy  —  Mary's  feel- 
ings and  conduct  —  Mary  is  a  captive  —  Darnley  relents  — 
The  flight  —  Mary  gathers  an  army  —  Campaigns  and  victo- 
ries—  Trouble  with  Darnley  increases — A  son  is  born — 
Congratulations —  Anticipations  —  Bothwell  and  Mary  — 
Excursions  —  Darnley 's  plans — Yields  to  Mary — The  Chris- 
tening—  A  divorce  or  murder  suggested  to  Mary — The  Con- 
epirac}- — Mary's  guilt — The  Issue,    .    .    ■        •    ,    .    .    .  112 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  Y, 

Mary's  movements  after  the  death  of  Darnley  — Mary  at  Setoii 
—  Popular  feeling — The  Earl  of  Lennox  writes  Mary — Let- 
ter from  Elizabeth  —  Mary's  intimacy  with  Bothwell — The 
mock  trial  and  acquittal  of  the  Earl  —  His  arrogance  and 
designs  —  The  banquet  —  The  nobles  sign  the  bond  praying 
Mary  to  marry  Bothwell  —  His  rudeness  to  the  Queen  —  Her 
devotion  to  him  —  The  stratagem  to  hasten  the  wedding  — 
its  success  —  Mary's  return  to  Edinburgh  —  The  nuptials  — 
Domestic  discord — Embassies  —  Rebellion — Feeling  in  the 
Court  of  Charles  IX.,  of  France — The  confederates  march 
towards  Both  wick  Castle — Bothwell  escapes  —  Mar^-'s  flight 
The  preparations  for  battle — Mediation  of  De  Croc — The 
Queen's  extremity  —  March  to  Edinburgh  —  Her  distress  — 
The  warrant  for  her  imprisonment  —  Mary  Stuart  in  Loch- 
leven  Castle,  


CHAPTER  VI. 

Kew  dangers  threaten  Mary  —  Sir  James  Melvil  —  Elizabeth's 
interposition  —  The  designs  and  action  of  the  Confederates 
—  Throckmorton's  embassy  and  instructions  —  The  corona- 
tion of  James — Th«  arrival  of  Murray  —  His  interview  with 
Mary  —  Is  proclaimed  Regent — The  people  approve  the 
measure  —  Elizabeth  only  interferes — Murra}'  triumphs  — 
Bothwell's  fate — His  companions  —  Mary  in  prison — At- 
tempts to  escape —  She  is  at  length  successful  —  Raises  an 
army  —  The  battle  —  Mary  flies  —  Reaches  Carlisle  —  "Writes 
Elizabeth — Throws  herself  on  the  mercy  of  the  Queen  of 
England  —  Negotiations  —  Elizabeth  demands  a  trial  of  Ma- 
ry —  Letters  to  her  from  the  Captive  —  Preparations  for  the 
conference  —  The  Court  at  York  —  The  position  and  error  of 
Mary,  2 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

T\\(^  conference  —  Letter  of  Mary  Stuart  to  the  King  of  Spain 
— ^The  Scotch  Commissioners  withdraw — Murray  accuses 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


Mary  —  Ellzabetli  proposes  to  her  Prisoner  a  reply  to  the  ev- 
idence—  Mary  refuses  —  The  Queen  of  England  writes  to 
Mary  —  Mary  vindicates  her  course  — The  conference  closes 

—  Mary  Stuart's  letter  to  Elizabeth  —  The  conflict  of  royal 
determinations  —  Mary  is  removed  to  the  Castle  of  Tut- 
bury  —  Murray's  movements  — The  Duke  of  Norfolk  as- 
pires to  the  hand  of  Mary  —  Ilia  designs  discovered  by 
Elizabeth — Mary  is  more  closely  confined  —  The  Duke  is 
arrested  —  Mary  writes  to  Elizabeth  —  Insurrection  —  Mur- 
ray is  triumphant — His  assassination  —  His  character  —  Let- 
ters of  Mary  —  Negotiations  with  Elizabeth  —  Conspiracy 

—  It  is  detected  —  Norfolk's  death  and  character  —  Mary's 
condition,  2oa 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

Changes  in  the  Regency  of  Scotland  — Massacre  of  St.  Barthol- 
omew —  Its  effects  on  Elizabeth  and  Mary's  prospects  —  De- 
signs against  Mary  — Death  of  Knox — The  total  overthrow 
of  her  party  in  Scotland  —  Letter  to  Elizabeth — Lenity  oi 
the  English  Queen  —  Correspondence  of  Mary  Stuart  —  An- 
other conspiracy — Letters  to  Archbishop  of  Glasgow — Ex- 
ecution of  Morton,  Regent  of  Scotland — A  new  conspiracy 
—  Its  failure —Letter  of  Mary  to  Elizabeth  322 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Mary  Stuart  is  arraigned  before  the  High  Court  of  Justice  — 
Scenes  of  the  trial  —  Elizabeth  hesitates  to  pronounce  the 
sentence  of  death,  according  to  the  \inanimou3  voice  of  the 
Commissioners  —  The  result  of  the  trial  is  annoiineed  to  Ma- 
ry—  Letters  to  friends  —  Her  last  message  to  Elizabeth  — 
Interference  of  Foreign  Courts  —  Unnatural  conduct  of 
James  VI. —  Elizabeth  signs  the  warrant  of  Mary's  execution 

—  Paulet  refuses  to  slay  his  prisoner  privately  —  The  ofiicei-s  ^ 
of  justice  repair  to  Fotheringay  Castle  —  Tlie  scenes  there 

—  The  warrant  is  read  to  Mary  — Her  reply  — Affecting  in- 
terviews —  Her  last  night  —  Writes  her  will  —  Prospect  of 
death,  4m, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

PAoa. 

Mary  Stuart's  last  slumber  —  The  morning  dawns  —  The  inter- 
view with  her  servants  —  Her  devotions  — The  summons  — > 
The  Captive's  death-march — Her  address  on  the  scaffold  — 
Religious  scenes — The  Victim  prepares  for  the  sacrifice  — 
The  fatal  stroke  —  Funeral  ceremonies  —  Effect  of  Mary's  ex- 
ecution on  the  public  mind —  Her  character,  438 


LIFE  OF  MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PERSONAL   AND   HIS'iOUICAL    INTEREST    OF    MARY's    LIFE  HER  ANCESTRl 

 CIRCUMSTANCES  OF    HER    BIRTH  DEATH  OF   JAMES   V.  HENRY  THE 

VIIL  OF  ENGLAND,  SOLICITS  THF  HAND  OF  MARY  STUART  FOR  THE  YOTJNG 

PRINCE  OF  WALES  MARy's  CORONATION  THE  TREATY  WITH  ENGLAND 

BROKEN,  AND  AN  ALLIANCE  WITH  FRANCE  FORMED  WAR  IS  DECLARED 

BY    KING    HENRY  UPON   THE   DEATH    OF   HENRY,    SOMERSET  BECOMES 

PROTECTOR  HE  PROSECUTES  THE  PLANS  OF    HIS    LATE    KING  BATTLE 

OF  PINKIE — Mary's  removal  to  inchmahome  —  sue  sails  for  France 

 her  arrival  HER  RESIDENCE  IN  THE  CONVENT  SHE  IS  REMOVED 

TO    THE    PALACE  THE    COURT    OF    HENRY    IL  MARy's  EDUCATION  

LETTER  TO  HER  MOTHER  INCIDENTS  HER  BEAUTY  AND  ACCOMPLISH- 
MENTS HER  CHARACTER  AT  THE  AGE  OF  FIFTEEN. 

The  name  of  Mary,  like  that  of  Josepliine,  awakens 
a  universal  and  mournful  interest.  Born  to  royalty, 
she  was  tlie  most  beautiful  and  accomplished  sove- 
reign in  the  world  during  a  stormy  period  of  the  Scot- 
tish monarchy,  and  after  a  captivity  of  nearly  half  of 
her  life-time,  died  on  the  scaffold,  in  the  full  maturity 
of  her  womanhood ;  illustrating  the  mutability  of  "  all 
things  terrene,"  and  how  great  a  misfortune  may  be 
the  heritage  of  greatness.  Tlie  peninsula  of  l^orthern 
Britain,  which  was  the  mountainous  home  of  the  Gal- 
lic race,  after  the  ceaseless  war  of  clans  for  centuries, 


1  i  M  A  R  Y    Q  U  E  E  N    O  F    S  C  O  T  3  . 

and  invasions  of  tlie  Saxons,  Angles,  and  Danes,  be- 
came an  independent  monarchy  about  the  middle  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  when  David  II.  ascended  the 
throne  founded  by  his  illustrious  father,  Eobert  Bruce. 
An  alliance  with  France  modified  the  severe  manners 
of  the  Scottish  nobility,  and  opened  a  refuge  for  the 
unfortunate  Mary.  Of  the  four  kings  who  reigned 
before  Mary's  father  took  the  sceptre,  James  I.  and 
James  III.  died  by  the  hands  of  the  assassin,  and 
James  11.  and  James  lY.  were  slain  in  battle.  James 
Y.  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  1513,  then  only  eighteen 
months  old,  under  the  regency  of  Margaret  of  Eng- 
land, his  mother. 

The  biography  of  Mary  Stuart,  therefore,  has  not 
only  the  interest  of  tragedy,  but  is  a  focal  point  in 
history,  in  which  the  past  and  present  meet,  with  an 
intensity  of  life,  perhaps,  unknown  in  the  annals  of 
woman,  if  we  except  the  rise  and  decline  of  the  Em- 
press, whose  destiny  was  the  dial  of  Napoleon's  fate. 

Maiy  Stuart  was  born  December  8, 1542  —  (accord- 
ing to  Miss  Benger's  Memoirs,  December  7,)  —  at  the 
palace  of  Linlithgow,  situated  on  the  shore  of  a  beau- 
tiful lake  in  the  heart  of  Scotland.  Iler  father,  James 
Y.,  assumed  the  reins  of  government  when  seventeen 
years  old,  and  at  twenty-three,  married  Magdalen, 
daughter  of  Francis  1.  She  died  two  years  later,  and 
the  King  married  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  Claude  de 
Guise,  of  Lorraine,  and  widow  of  Louis  of  Orleans — • 
an  accomplished  and  fascinating  woman.  There  was 
a  sad  omen  in  the  circumstances  attending  the  birth 
of  Mary.    James,  wlio  had  refused  to  meet  Henrv 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  Pi  COTS. 


15 


the  Eiglith  of  England  at  York,  to  form  a  religions 
union,  ^yas  caressed  and  flattered  by  the  cardinal  and 
bishops,  while  the  increasing  spirit  of  faction  spread 
among  his  nobles.  When,  therefore,  his  army  came 
to  battle  with  five  hundred  English,  at  Sohvay  Moss, 
they  immediately  fled.  His  proud  and  passionate 
heart  was  stung  with*  mortification,  and  w^ealdy  yield- 
ing to  the  calamity,  he  died  a  few  days  after  hearing 
the  tidings  of  Mary's  birth.  Uj)on  the  factious  deser- 
tion of  his  forces,  "  the  King  passed  out  of  Holyrood 
House  to  Falkland,  and  there  became  heavy  and  do- 
lorous, that  he  never  ate  nor  drank  that  had  digestion  ; 
and  so  he  became  vehement  sick  that  no  man  had 
hope  of  his  life:  then  he  sent  for  certain  of  his  lords, 
both  spiritual  and  temporal,  to  have  their  counsel,  but 
ere  they  came,  he  w^as  well  nigh  strangled  to  death 
by  extreme  melancholy.  By  this  the  post  came  to 
the  King  out  of  Linlithgow,  show^ing  him  good  tidings 
that  the  Queen  was  delivered.  The  King  inquired 
whether  it  was  a  man-child  or  a  woman  ;  the  messen- 
ger said,  'It  is  a  fair  daughter the  King  answered, 
Adieu !  farewell :  it  came  with  a  lass,  and  it  will  pass 
with  a  lass ;  and  so  he  recommended  himself  to  the 
mercy  of  Almighty  God,  and  spake  little  from  that 
time  forth,  but  turned  his  back  to  his  lords,  and  his 
face  to  the  wall.  At  this  time  Laird  Beaton,  Cardi- 
nal of  Scotland,  standing  in  ^^resence  of  the  King, 
seeing  him  begin  to  fail  of  his  strength  and  natural 
speech,  held  a  throck  of  paper  to  his  grace,  and  caus- 
tid  him  to  subscribe  the  same,  wherein  the  said  car- 
dinal wrote  what  pleased  him,  for  his  own  particular 


10 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


tliliiking,  to  Lave  autliority  and  preeminence  in  the 
government  of  tlie  conntry.  But  we  may  know  here- 
by the  King's  legacy  was  very  short,  for  in  this  man- 
ner he  departed,  as  hereafter  I  shall  show  you.  He 
turned  him  upon  his  back,  and  looked  and  looked  and 
beheld  all  his  nobles  and  lords  about  him,  and  gave  a 
little  smile  of  laughter,  then  kissed  his  hand,  and 
offered  the  same  to  all  his  nobles  round  about  him, 
thereafter  held  up  his  hands,  and  yielded  his  spirit 
to.  God." 

Ko  sooner  was  the  King  buried,  than  the  uncon- 
scious infant,  his  only  daughter,  became  the  object  of 
political  intrigue  and  bitter  jealousies.  The  English 
monarch  dispatched  Sadler,  a  distinguished  negotia- 
tor, to  secure  the  marriage  of  his  son  Edward  to  the 
heiress  of  Scotland.  His  design  was  to  consolidate 
the  interests  of  the  two  kingdoms,  and  establish 
abiding  peace.  The  difficulties  to  be  overcome  were 
manifold.  The  nobility  were  divided.  A  large  party 
was  dependent  on  England,  another  sympathized  with 
France,  and  a  third,  the  smallest  faction,  was  com- 
posed of  genuine  patriots  —  high-minded  men,  ready 
to  defend  with  their  blood,  the  independence  and  glo- 
ry of  their  ancient  realm.  The  clergy  were  of  course 
hostile  to  tlie  Reformation,  and  actively  fanned  the 
flame  of  discord  between  England  and  semi-catholic 
Scotland.  Meanwhile,  the  Earl  of  Arran,  through  the 
ascendency  of  the  nobility,  was  appointed  by  Parlia- 
jnent  Eegent  of  the  kingdom.  To  him  Sadler  pro- 
posed the  alliance.  Cardinal  Beaton,  who  had  as- 
pired to  the  regency,  employed  his  influence  over  the 


MARY  QUEE2^   OF  SCOTS. 


17 


earl,  to  prevent  tlie  consiiinmation  of  the  politic 
scheme,  and  obtain  a  similar  arrangement  with  F ranee, 
a  papal  power.  Althongh  Arran  vacillated,  Henry 
the  Yin.  might  have  succeeded,  had  not  his  fiery  and 
impetuous  nature  urged  his  claims  too  vehemently. 
He  demanded  the  guardianship  of  Mary  till  she  was 
of  marriageable  age,  and  also  asked  the  surrender  of 
several  of  the  most  impregnable  fortresses  in  Scot- 
land. This  exaction  roused  popular  feeling,  and  Hen- 
ry was  compelled  to  contract  his  royal  ambition,  to 
the  simple  requisition,  that  the  juvenile  Queen  be 
sent  to  England  when  she  had  reached  her  tenth  year, 
and  espouse  the  Prince  of  Wales.  On  the  1st  of  July, 
1543,  a  treaty  was  concluded  between  the  Regent 
and  King  Henry.  During  this  excitment,  spreading 
over  two  monarchies,  and  enlisting  the  diplomacy  of 
lords  and  kings,  Mary  Stuart  was  smiling  in  the 
dreams  of  hel]3less  infancy  at  Linlithgow.  The  loch 
sparkled  beneath  the  castle  windows — fountains  sent 
up  their  showers  of  diamonds  —  and  the  soothing  ac- 
cents of  Janet,  her  nurse,  were  more  welcome  than 
the  salutations  of  steel-clad  barons  and  earls,  who 
came  to  look  on  the  child,  and  congratulate  the  wid- 
owed mother.  It  was  well  that  neither  parent  nor 
olfspring  saw  the  strange  contrasts  and  fearful  hours 
of  the  future.  Mary  was  about  nine  months  old, 
wdien  her  coronation  was  appointed,  on  the  9th  of 
September,  1543,  at  Stirling  Castle — less  than  a  score 
of  miles  from  Linlithgow  —  where  this  pageant  had 
for  many  years  been  witnessed. 

The  day  was  one  of  universal  and  thrilling  interest 

2 


18 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


in  Scotland.  Tlie  first  female  sovereign  on  the  throne 
of  Bruce,  was  to  be  invested  with  crown  and  scepter. 
Two  rival  kingdoms,  and  the  reformers  of  Europe 
were  concerned  in  the  significant  event.  To  behold 
the  magnificent  scene,  came  pilgrims  from  highland 
and  lowland,  and  from  adjacent  realms,  winding  up 
the  hill  sides  from  the  beautiful  vales,  to  the  rockj 
summit,  frowning  with  the  battlements  and  towers  of 
Stirling  Castle.  In  the  glittering  train  that  followed 
the  infant  Mar j,  the  Earl  of  Arran  bore  the  crown  — 
Lennox  held  the  scepter.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that 
the  fathers  of  Darnley  and  Bothwell,  the  immediate 
instruments  of  Mary's  tragical  overthrow,  were  among 
the  attendants,  who  assisted  in  her  coronation.  Car- 
dinal Beaton  placed  the  symbol  of  regal  power  upon 
tlie  brow  of  the  laughing  babe,  around  whom  fac- 
tions sternly  faced  each  other,  and  the  shouts  of  the 
multitude  made  the  old  fortress  rock  to  its  base.  The 
only  bewildered  and  unconscious  being  there,  was 
the  heiress  to  scarcely  less  than  a  crown  of  thorns. 

Wlien  the  imposing  ceremonies  had  passed,  and  the 
intrigues  of  aspiring  men  w^ere  renewed,  the  Earl  of 
Arran  began  to  feel  the  force  of  a  long  cherished 
family  preference  for  French  alliances,  and  the  artful 
appeals  of  Cardinal  Beaton.  Renouncing  his  Protest- 
ant tendencies,  he  joined  the  Catholic  party,  of  which 
the  Queen  Dowager,  distinguished  for  her  dissimula- 
tion and  diplomacy,  was  the  head.  The  covenant  with 
England  was  therefore  annulled,  and  on  the  15th  of 
December,  less  than  six  months  after  the  treaty  with 
Henry  was  formed,  an  alliance  with  France  was  signed 


MARY    QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


19 


at  Edinbiirgli,  by  tlie  Regent  and  Estates  oi  Scotland, 
who  at  the  same  time  ratified,  in  Mary's  name,  all  the 
treaties  which  had  been  made  between  the  realms, 
since  the  reign  of  Robert  Bruce. 

This  was  the  signal  of  w^ar,  which  was  declared  by 
the  enraged  monarch  of  England,  and  a  fleet  was  dis- 
patched to  the  Frith  of  Forth.  This  armament  left 
black  desolation  in  its  path  along  the  coast,  and  at 
length  threatened  with  the  torch  of  conflagration  the 
noble  city  of  Edinburgh.  Upon  the  southern  frontier 
hung  the  English  army,  ravaging  the  Scottish  plains 
with  frequent  and  lawless  incursions.  It  was  the  folly 
of  a  prince,  haughtily  imj^atient  of  restraint,  to  an- 
ticipate success  by  urging  young  Edward's  right  to 
Mary's  hand,  upon  the  resolute  Scotch,  with  the  ruth- 
less enterprise  of  a  freebooter.  The  inevitable  result 
was,  a  deepening  hatred  of  the  English,  and  more 
determined  resistance.  From  France,  auxiliary  troops 
were  called,  to  prosecute  vigorously  the  war.  The 
whole  country  was  in  a  state  of  alarm.  Persecution 
w^ent  abroad,  with  unrelenting  cruelty.  The  castle 
of  St.  Andrews  and  the  French  galleys  received  the 
leaders  of  the  English  Reformation  in  Scotland.  The 
virtuous  and  gifted  Wishart  went  to  the  stake  under 
the  religious  despotism  of  Cardinal  Beaton ;  and 
bloody  deeds  were  everywhere  common.  Tlie  death 
of  Henry  YIII.  in  January,  1547,  left  his  experiment 
of  uniting  the  houses  of  the  Stuarts  and  the  Tudors, 
a  total  failure,  and  the  kingdoms  of  Scotland  and 
England  wider  asunder  than  at  any  previous  period. 

The  Duke  of  Somerset,  uncle  of  Edward  YL,  was 


20 


MARY  Q  U    E N  OF  SCOTS. 


appointed  Protector  of  tlie  kingdom,  during  tlie  mi- 
nority of  the  Prince,  and  carried  forward  energetically 
the  plans  of  the  late  King.  "With  an  army  of  eighteen 
thousand  men,  he  appeared  on  Scottish  soil,  and  ofter- 
ed  to  retire,  only  on  conditions  that  Mary  should  re- 
main in  her  native  land  till  old  enough  to  marry,  and 
that  all  neo-otiations  with  France  cease  forever.  But 
the  spirit  of  national  independence,  which  spumed 
the  humiliation  of  concession,  lived  among  the  high- 
lands, and  in  the  palaces  of  the  divided  nobility.  The 
Earl  of  Arran  gathered  a  force  of  more  than  thirty 
thousand  soldiers,  and  marched  to  the  banks  of  the 
Eske,  four  miles  from  Edinburgh,  where  Somerset  had 
taken  his  position.  The  Protector  then  renewed  his 
proj^osals  to  evacuate  the  realm,  and  also  repair  dam- 
ages which  he  had  committed,  upon  the  same  terms 
as  before.  The  Scotch,  confident  of  victory,  refused, 
and  after  some  manoeuvering,  the  battle  opened.  The 
strife  was  fierce  ;  and  when  the  clashing  of  spears  had 
died  away,  and  the  tempest  of  arrows  ceased,  there 
lay  ten  thousand  of  Arran's  host  on  the  field,  and  the 
remainder  were  flying  hotly  before  the  shouting  ene- 
my, whose  loss  was  scarcely  two  hundred  men.  This 
decisive  contest  was  called  the  battle  of  Pinkie,  from 
the  seat  of  a  nobleman  near  the  scene  of  bloody  en- 
counter. The  English,  advancing  to  Leith,  finally 
entrenched  themselves  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
countr}^,  and  received  the  surrender  of  the  lairds  along 
that  frontier.  Somerset,  alarmed  by  cabals  against 
him  at  home,  hastened  to  London  ;  and  Scotland,  im- 
proving the  delay,  turned  anxiously  to  France,  ten- 


MARY  QUE  EX  OF  SCOTS. 


21 


dering  that  power  tlie  guarcliansliip  and  inheritance 
of  Mary  Stuart.  The  Princess  had  passed  the  period 
of  these  exciting  events  at  Stirling  Castle,  under  the 
care  of  her  governors,  Lords  Erskine  and  Livingston, 
a  lovely,  laughing  girl,  not  six  years  of  age,  when  the 
tidings  of  defeat  at  Pinkie  reached  the  royal  fortress. 

Stirling  was  now^  in  danger  of  assault,  and  it  was 
determined  to  remove  Mary  to  the  island  of  Lichma- 
home,  in  the  lake  of  Monteith."^  There  was  a  mon- 
astery there,  sheltered  by  its  isolation  from  the  fora- 
ging troops  of  the  English  army.  It  w^as  a  romantic 
retreat,  devoted  to  religious  purposes  mainly,  and  like 
Calypso's  island  to  the  young  captive  of  Stirling  Cas- 
tle. Li  addition  to  the  curators  of  her  person,  she 
was  attended  by  Erskine,  the  prior  of  Inchmahome, 
the  parson  of  Balmacellan,  the  nurse,  Janet  Sinclair, 
her  governess.  Lady  Eleming,  daughter  of  James 
Fourth,  and  over  all,  Mary  of  Guise,  whose  clear  in- 
tellect was  stimulated  to  activity  and  vigilance  by 
Tfiatemal  affection.  To  increase  the  pleasures  of  an 
only  daughter,  and  give  completeness  to  her  culture, 
she  formed  a  social  group,  or  school,  of  four  girls, 
about  the  same  age,  and  bearing  the  name  of  the 
Queen.  The  first  was  Mary  Beaton,  niece  of  the  car 
dinal ;  the  second,  Mary  Eleming,  daughter  of  Lord 
Eleming ;  the  third,  Mary  Livingston,  and  the  fourth, 
Mary  Seaton. 

Little  is  knowm  of  Mary  Stuart's  history  in  Lich- 
mahome.    She  had  begun  an  acquaintance  with  the 

*  Mr.  Abbott  puts  Mary's  removal  to  Inchmahome  aboat  three 
years  earlier,  which  does  not  agree  with  Migiiet  and  others. 


22  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

Frencli  language,  and,  it  is  paid,  with  otlier  classics. 
Doubtless,  excepting  the  occasional  recitations,  mat- 
ins and  vespers,  these  children,  six  years  of  age,  pas- 
sed their  time  as  others  do,  amid  the  j)leasant  scenes 
of  quiet  life,  in  juvenile  pastimes,  and  rambles  over 
the  green  esplanade  of  their  consecrated  home.  In  a 
few  months  the  IVIarys  were  removed  from  this  tran- 
quil and  delightful  refuge,  to  Dumbarton  Castle ; 
where  bold  and  romantic  scenery  has  furnished  glow- 
ing themes  for  Scottish  song.  This  transfer,  which 
contemplated  the  interference  of  the  Duke  of  Somer- 
set to  prevent  the  escape  of  Mary  to  France,  was, 
on  that  account,  of  short  continuance.  Admiral  Yil- 
legognon,  with  four  galleys,  was  in  the  Clyde,  to  con- 
vey the  Queen  and  her  retinue  to  the  dominions  of 
Henry  II.,  who  had  succeeded  Francis  I.  The  fleet 
sailed  from  harbor  the  Tth  of  August.  The  i3arting 
with  her  motlier  was  affecting ;  but  it  is  affirmed  by 
biographers,  tliat  no  murmurs  escaped  the  young  ex- 
ile's lips.  She  wept  with  a  multitude  of  her  people, 
as  the  royal  vessel  floated  away,  and  her  native  land 
began  to  recede  from  her  radiant  eye.  Scarcely  had 
the  fleet  passed  out  into  the  deep,  before  the  English 
squadron  arrived  at  St.  Abb's  Head,  to  oppose  its  de- 
parture from  the  coast  of  Scotland.  After  a  pleasant 
voyage,  the  flying  Mary,  with  her  company,  arrived  at 
Brest,  August  13th,  1.548.  She  was  received  with 
great  pomp  by  the  King  of  France,  and  the  procession 
moved  on  to  Paris  amid  the  regal  splendor  of  that 
extravagant  period  of  French  history.  Prison  doors 
were  thrown  open  at  the  approach  of  the  cavalcade, 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


23 


and  tlie  captives  restored  to  freedom.  It  was  a 
!5trangely  exciting  scene  to  the  laughing  girl  who  was 
tlie  cause  of  it  all. 

After  a  brief  residence  in  the  palace  of  St.  Ger- 
main, surrounded  with  courtly  pageantry,  Mary  was 
removed  to  a  convent,  to  complete  her  education. 
She  was  subjected  to  strict  rules  of  discipline,  and 
regularly  accustomed  to  join  the  nuns  in  their  devo- 
tional exercises,  and  ascetic  humiliations  :  and  so  read- 
ily did  she  comply  with  whatever  was  required  by 
her  spiritual  directors,  that  they  began  to  cherish 
ambitious  hopes  of  their  royal  pupil,  and  to  boast 
that  she  had  a  religious  vocation.  This  persuasion 
was  too  agreeable  to  self-love  and  to  enthusiasm,  to 
be  confined  to  their  own  community  ;  the  nuns  ofii- 
ciously  proclaimed  their  conviction  that  the  little 
Mary  Stuart  would  be  a  saint  on  earth  :  and  with 
such  zeal  was  the  rumor  propagated,  that  it  oven 
reached  the  King,  who  had  just  returned  from  }^ou- 
logne,  and  who,  not  relishing  the  suggestion,  in  me- 
diately demanded  that  his  daughter-in-law  elect 
should  be  transferred  to  apartments  in  the  palace, 
where  she  could  no  longer  be  accessible  to  sunted 
maids,  or  exposed  to  their  pious  seductions.  A'  cord- 
ing to  her  learned  biographer,"^  the  execution  cf  this 
mandate  drew  from  Mary  more  tears  than  shj  h^d 
shed  on  leaving  Scotland.  Whether  the  endearing 
manners  of  the  community  had  so  strongly  ei  gaged 
her  afifections,  or  that,  in  the  tranquillity  of  her  re- 
treat, so  congenial  to  the  simple  wishes  of  childhood, 

*  Conseus  in  Jebb. 


24 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


the  sensibilities  of  her  nature  had  prematurely  ex- 
panded, we  are  assured  not  only  that  she  evinced  deep 
sorrow  at  this  change  of  residence,  but  that  she  ea- 
gerly embraced  every  permission  that  was  offered,  of 
revisiting  the  sisters  of  the  community,  and  long  after 
employed  her  needle  in  embroidering  an  altar-piece 
for  the  church  of  their  convent.'^  In  the  palace,  as  be- 
fore, Mary  was  attended  by  her  two  scholastic  pre- 
ceptors, her  governess,  the  Lady  Fleming,  and  her 
curator,  Keid,  Bishop  of  Orkney,  who  had  succeeded 
Lord  Livingston  in  that  important  trust.  Her  Marys 
continued  to  be  her  constant  comj)anions  ;  and  as  she 
discovered  uncommon  aptitude  to  application,  nothing 
was  omitted  to  stimulate  her  exertions  or  increase  her 
diligence.  Exclusive  of  the  Latin  and  French,  she 
began  also  to  study  the  Italian  language  ;  but  music 
was  rarely  cultivated  by  the  great  as  a  science,  and 
it  was  not  till  a  later  ])eriod  that  she  learnt  to  play 
ori  the  virginals  and  clavichords. 

The  education  of  Mary  was  precisely  such  as  was 
given  to  the  daughters  of  France,  with  certain  sup 
])lementary  literary  advantages,  for  which  she  ap- 
pears to  have  been  exclusively  indebted  to  the  super- 
intendence of  her  uncle,  Cardinal  Lorraine.  In  the 
education  of  a  royal  personage,  mental  cultivation, 
however  highly  valued,  was  of  subordinate  importance 
to  the  acquisition  of  those  external  accomplishments, 
essentially  necessary  to  that  public  exhibition  which 
is  unavoidably  imposed  on  the  station  of  a  sovereign. 
For  those  who  live  exposed  to  the  public  gaze,  alter- 

*  Conajus  in  Jebb. 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


25 


natelj  the  objects  of  criticism  and  admiration,  to  be 
wanting  in  a  dignified  carriage,  or  gracious  demeanor ; 
to  be  untasteful  in  dress,  of  ungraceful  sj)eecli,  or  sliy, 
repulsive  manners,  has  ever  been  an  irreparable  de- 
fect, for  wliich  neither  moral  nor  intellectual  qualities 
could  compensate  to  their  possessor.  To  guaranty  the 
rojal  pupils  from  this  misfortune,  appears  to  have 
been  a  primary  object  with  the  French  teacher :  and 
whilst  the  prince  was  taught  to  ride,  to  fence,  and 
to  perform  all  the  athletic  exercises  suited  to  his  sex 
and  rank,  he  was  at  the  same  time  habituated  to 
speak  in  public,  to  recite  discourses,  which  he,  per- 
haps, scarcely  understood,  and  to  address,  in  a  tone 
of  confidence  and  friendship,  those  to  whose  persons 
and  character  he  was  almost  a  stranger." 

The  influences  which  were  to  attend  Mary,  appear 
in  a  brief  and  vivid  description  of  royalty.  "  This 
court  was  then  the  most  magnificent,  the  most  elegant, 
the  most  joyous,  and,  we  must  add,  the  most  lax  in 
Europe.  Still  retaining  certain  military  customs  of 
the  middle  ages,  and  at  the  same  time  conforming  to 
the  intellectual  usages  of  the  time  of  the  renaissance^ 
it  was  half-chivalric  and  half-literary,  mingling  tourna- 
ments with  studies,  hunting  with  erudition,  mental 
achievements  with  bodily  exercises,  the  ancient  and 
rough  games  of  skill  and  strength  with  the  novel  and 
delicate  pleasures  of  the  arts.  ^N'othing  could  equal 
the  splendor  and  vivacity  which  Francis  I.  had 
introduced  into  his  court,  by  attracting  thither  all  the 
principal  nobility  of  France,  by  educating  as  pages 
B 


26 


MART  QUEEX  OF  SCOTS. 


therein  young  gentlemen  of  all  the  provinces,  by 
adorning  it  with  nearly  two  hundred  ladies  belonging 
to  the  greatest  families  in  the  kingdom,  and  by  estab- 
lishing it  sometimes  in  the  splendid  palaces  of  Fon- 
tainbleau  and  St.  Germain,  which  he  had  either  built 
or  beautified,  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and  sometimes 
in  the  spacious  castles  of  Blois  and  Amboise,  which  his 
predecessors  had  inhabited,  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire. 
A  careful  imitator  of  his  father's  example,  Henry  II. 
kept  up  the  same  magnificence  at  his  court,  which 
was  presided  over  with  as  much  grace  as  activity  by 
the  subtle  Italian,  Catherine  de  Medici,  whose  char- 
acter had  been  formed  by  Francis  I.,  who  had  admit- 
ted her  into  the  petite  hande  de  ses  dames  favoritesy 
with  whom  he  used  to  hunt  the  stag,  and  frequently 
sport  in  his  pleasure-houses  1  Tlie  men  were  con- 
stantly in  the  company  of  the  w^omen  ;  the  Queen 
and  her  ladies  were  present  at  all  the  games  and 
amusements  of  Henry  11.  and  his  gentlemen,  and  ac- 
companied them  in  the  chase.  Tlie  King,  on  his  part, 
together  with  the  noblemen  of  his  retinue,  used  to 
pass  several  houi*s  every  morning  and  evening  in  the 
apartments  of  Catherine  de  Medici.  "  Tliere,"  says 
Brantome,  "there  was  a  host  of  human  goddesses, 
some  more  beautiful  than  others  ;  every  lord  and  gen- 
tleman conversed  with  her  he  loved  best ;  whilst  the 
King  talked  to  the  Queen,  his  sister,  the  dauphiness, 
(Mary  Stuart,)  and  the  princesses,  together  with  those 
lords  and  princes  w^ho  were  seated  nearest  him."  As 
the  kings  themselves  had  avowed  mistresses,  they 


MARY  QUEE]^  OF  SCOTS. 


27 


were  desirous  that  tlieir  subjects  should  follow  their 
example,  "  and  if  they  did  not  do  so,"  says  Brantome, 
"  they  considered  them  coxcombs  and  fools." 

Mary's  education  had,  therefore,  all  the  elaborate 
culture  and  glaring  faults  incident  to  royal  munifi- 
cence, Romish  instructors  and  a  corrupt  court.  Pride 
of  lineage,  and  a  self-respect  that  would  repel  a  stain 
upon  hereditary  honors,  sooner  than  an  assault  upon 
personal  virtue,  were  conspicuous  in  the  splendid  reign 
of  Henry  the  Second.  There  was  pageantry  reflect- 
ing the  ancestral  glory  of  past  ages,  and  a  polished 
surface-dressing  of  society,  which  concealed  a  melan- 
choly want  of  religious  tone  and  purity.  Instead  of 
the  power  of  Puritan  faith,  the  young  Queen  embra- 
ced ardently  the  dogmas  of  persecuting  Eome.  These 
early  influences  upon  her  character  were  afterwards 
developed  in  acts  which  partially  Eclipsed  her  amia- 
ble qualities  and  brilliant  genius. 

"When  nearly  eight  years  old,  her  mother.  Queen 
Dowager  of  Scotland,  reached  Pouen."  The  arrange- 
ments for  this  anticipated  visit  were  expensive  and  im- 
posing. After  the  dazzling  reception  given  by  the 
King  and  his  attendants,  Mary  of  Guise  was  conducted 
to  the  apartments  of  Mary  Stuart.  The  sight  of  the 
beautiful  girl,  whose  deportment  had  the  refined  dig- 
nity of  queenly  womanhood,  was  like  a  rapturous 
vision  to  the  ambitious  mother.  Tears  of  joy  fell  fast, 
and  smiles  of  maternal  aflfection  pla^^ed  brightly  round 
her  tremulous  lips.  But  the  Princess  stood  in  the  con- 
scious greatness  of  her  destiny,  and  with  the  subsiding 
ecstacy  of  her  mother,  quietly  demanded,  "  whethei 


28 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


any  fends  continued  to  subsist  in  the  noble  famib'es  of 
Scotland  ;  at  the  same  time  inquiring  by  name  for 
tliose  who  had  evinced  most  attachment  to  the  ancient 
faith.  She  then  proceeded  to  ask,  with  all  the  usual 
expressions  of  royal  benevolence,  if  the  English  still 
harrassed  her  dear  native  country ;  whether  divine 
worship  had  been  preserved  in  imcontaminated  puri- 
ty ;  whether  the  prelates  and  priests  attended  to  their 
respective  duties,  expressing  detestation  for  all  who 
had  forsaken  the  faith  of  their  fathers."  This  prema- 
ture display  of  jDowers,  betrayed  both  her  docility 
toward  her  teachers,  and  the  artificial  training  of  the 
palace  and  the  times.  For  two  days,  festal  scenes 
were  witnessed  in  the  ancient  town  of  Rouen. 

"  The  only  classical  part  of  the  show,  was  a  tri- 
umphal arch,  under  which  passed  a  procession,  at  once 
superb  and  grotesque.  The  first  object  was  a  chariot, 
drawn  by  a  unicorn,  after  which  came  two  elephants, 
or  rather  horses  so  disguised  as  to  represent  them, 
bearing  on  their  backs  two  litters,  in  which  were  seat- 
ed ladies,  of  whom  a  transient  glimpse  was  taken 
from  the  latticed  apertures.  Religion  followed  in  her 
triumphal  car,  bearing  in  her  arms  the  appropriate 
symbol  of  a  church.  Kext  to  these  walked  a  man, 
carrying  the  image  of  the  Yirgin  and  the  child  Jesus. 
Then  followed  the  car  of  Fortune,  in  which  rode  an- 
other man,  young  and  handsome,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  Henry  the  Second,  behind  whom  stalked  a 
boy,  to  personate  the  Dauphin.  To  crown  the  whole, 
Neptune  glided  along  with  Amphitrite,  attended  by 
tri^ons  and  sea  monsters." 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


29 


Tliis  display  was  followed  by  a  public  entry  into 
Paris.  For  a  year,  Mary  enjoyed  the  society  of  her 
mother,  surrounded  with  scenes  of  festivity  and  all  the 
pleasures  of  a  court,  of  w^iich  she  was  the  favorite. 
It  is  not  strange  that  her  early  love  grew  strong  for 
France,  and  that  in  after  life,  she  turned  to  memory's 
record  of  those  departed  joys,  with  tears.  But  the 
Queen  Dowager  had  more  ambitious  aims  to  secure 
before  leaving  the  palace  of  Henry,  than  the  society 
of  her  daughter  and  the  brilliant  succession  of  enter- 
tainments which  she  enjoyed.  Her  aspiring  heart 
had  been  long  fixed  on  attaining  the  regency  of  Scot- 
land, which  now  she  saw  within  her  grasp.  It  was 
only  necessary  to  obtain  the  assent  of  the  King  to  the 
conditions,  upon  which  the  Earl  of  Arran  might  be 
induced  to  resign  his  office  in  her  behalf.  With  this 
pledge,  she  prepared  to  leave  her  native  land.  Her 
widowed  mother,  Antoinette  of  Bourbon,  was  wasting 
away  at  Joinville,  under  the  rayless  gloom  of  cher- 
ished mourning  for  the  dead,  and  self-inflicted  morti- 
fications, heightened  by  the  sympathy  she  extorted 
from  all  around  her.  To  this  mother,  sitting  in  the 
shadow  of  death,, a  weeping  monument  of  inexorabl^^ 
despair,  Mary  of  Guise,  with  filial  respect,  made  a 
toilsome  journey.  Entering  the  ample  apartments 
of  the  maternal  mansion,  which  were  hung  in  black, 
she  communed  for  the  last  time  with  a  spirit,  beneath 
whose  surface,  calm  with  habitual  grief,  burned  in- 
tensely a  persecuting  intoleration  towards  heretics. 
From  the  tomb  of  the  livino-  she  hastened  ao;ain  to 
Fontainebleau,  to  bid  adieu  to  Mary  Stuart ;  and 


30 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  6COTS. 


breaking  away  from  tlie  ties  of  family  and  country, 
embarked  for  England,  to  consummate  her  ambitious 
plans. 

The  parting  look  was  her  last  upon  Mary ;  they  met 
no  more  this  side  the  vale  of  eternal  scenes.  The  ed- 
ucation of  the  young  Princess  was  continued  with  daz- 
zling progress.  Living  in  the  atmosphere  of  literature, 
where  the  King's  daughters  w^ere  linguists,  and  the  arts 
a  theme  of  constant  criticism,  her  genius  outshone  the 
more  mature,  lending  its  fascination  to  her  unrivaled 
beauty  of  person.  At  ten  years  of  age,  she  wrote  the 
following  letter  to  the  Queen  Dow^ager,  concerning 
the  affairs  of  Scotland,  with  a  practical  sense  and  pre- 
cision which  astonished  even  her  admirers,  as  an  ex- 
hibition of  precocious  talents  and  culture,  both  in 
science  and  belleslettres,  and  in  the  policy  of  ambi- 
tious sovereigns : 

"  1552. 

Mada:me — I  have  received  the  letters  which  you 
have  been  pleased  to  write  me  by  Aztus  Asquin,  by 
W'hich  I  have  learnt  the  pleasure  you  have  felt  that  I 
have  kept  secret  the  things  which  it  pleased  you  to 
send  to  me.  I  can  assure  you,  madame,  that  nothing 
that  comes  from  you  shall  he  known  by  me  {ne  sera 
seen  par  may)  I  humbly  beg  you  to  be- 
lieve that  I  shall  not  fail  to  obey  you  in  everything  in 
which  you  are  pleased  to  command  me,  and  to  think 
that  the  chief  w^ish  I  have  in  the  world  is  to  be  obe- 
dient and  agreeable  to  you,  doing  you  every  possible 
service,  as  I  am  bound,  I  have  seen,  by  your  letters, 
that  yon  beg  me  to  approve  the  marriage-gift  of  the 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


late  M.  Asquin  to  liis  son,  who  is  here.  I  humbly  en- 
treat you  never  to  give  me  anything  but  your  com- 
mands, as  to  your  very  humble  and  very  obedient 
daughter  and  servant,  for  otherwise  I  shall  not  think 
I  have  the  happiness  of  being  in  your  good  graces. 
As"  for  my  master,  I  vvill  do  as  you  have  told  me.  1 
have  shown  the  letters  you  have  been  pleased  to  write 
to  me  to  my  uncle,  Monsieur  de  Guise,  thinking  that 
you  would  wish  it,  though,  after  the  directions  you 
have  given  me,  I  should  not  have  shown  them  but 
that  I  was  afraid  I  could  not  arrano^e  thino;s  without 
his  help.  I  write  two  other  letters  with  my  own  hand ; 
the  one  concerning  Mde.  de  Parroys,  and  the  other 
for  my  master,  that  you  may  be  able  to  show  that  of 
niy  said  master  without  this,  so  that  they  may  not 
think  that  you  have  told  me  anything  about  it.  .  . 
.  .  I  should  have  w^ritten  to  you  in  cipher,  but  my 
secretary  has  told  me  that  it  was  not  necessary,  and 
that  he  was  writing  to  you  in  cipher.  I  write  also  to 
my  natural  brother,  {frere  hastard,)  according  to  the 
advice  of  my  uncle,  M.  de  Guise.  Tlie  said  letters 
are  open,  in  order  that  you  may  deliver  them  if  you 
approve  of  them." 

Music,  poetry,  drawing,  the  exciting  pleasures  of 
the  chase,  aquatic  excursions,  and  social  scenes,  were 
crowded  into  the  premature  experience  of  Mary. 
On  one  occasion,  riding  at  full  speed  in  pursuit  of  a 
stag,  attended  by  a  party  of  the  nobility,  her  dress 
caught  in  the  boughs  of  a  tree,  and  in  a  moment  she 
was  unliorsed,  and  lying  upon  the  tuif.    The  company 


32 


MART  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


passed  on  without  seeing  tlie  fallen  Queen.  Her 
coolness  was  admirable  ;  she  made  no  outcry,  and 
when  her  steed  was  brought  back,  she  arranged  her 
disheveled  hair,  and  remounting,  again  dashed  for- 
ward in  the  chase. 

The  following  letter,  written  about  this  time,  w^hen 
Mary  was  twelve  years  old,  and  addressed  to  her 
mother,  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  careful  guardianship 
with  which  she  was  environed,  and  of  her  filial 
temper : 

"  Madame — have  been  well  pleased  to  find  so 
good  an  opportunity  to  write  you,  as  I  still  remain 
here  in  this  place  of  Mendon,  with  madame,  my 
grand-mother,  where  the  King  and  the  Queen  are  to 
come  Thursday  next,  to  tlie  baptism  of  my  little  cousin. 
My  uncle,  the  cardinal,  has  informed  me  that  all  the 
lords  of  my  kingdom  are  well  disposed  to  obey  you, 
and  to  do  for  you,  as  well  as  for  myself,  whatever  you 
may  please  to  command  them,  for  which  I  am  very 
grateful,  and  well  pleased,  desiring  very  much  to  hear 
your  news,  and  awaiting  which,  I  present  my  very 
humble  comj)liments  to  your  good  grace — praying 
God  to  give  you,  madame,  happiness  and  long  life,  I 
am  your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  daughter 
Mary.  Madame,  once  more  I  thank  you." 

A  year  later  she  composed  a  Latin  speech,  and  re- 
cited it  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  the  Queen,  and 
the  entire  court,  assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  Louvre. 
Tlie  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  wrote  to  her  mother  in  the 
following  strain  of  culoj^v : 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


33 


"  Your  daughter  has  so  increased,  and  indeed  in- 
creases daily  in  height,  goodness,  beauty,  wisdom,  and 
virtues,  that  she  is  as  perfect  and  accomplished  in  all 
tilings  honest  and  virtuous  as  it  is  possible  for  her  to 
be  ;  and  there  is  no  one  like  her  to  be  found  in  this 
kingdom,  either  among  noble  ladies  or  others,  of  what- 
ever low  or  mean  condition  and  quality  they  may  be : 
and  I  am  constrained  to  tell  you,  madame,  that  the 
King  takes  such  a  liking  to  her,  that  he  often  passes 
his  time  in  chatting  with  her  for  the  space  of  an  hour  ; 
and  she  knows  quite  well  how  to  entertain  him  with 
good  and  wise  conversation,  as  if  she  were  a  woman 
twenty-five  years  of  age." 

The  homage  paid  to  Mary's  beauty  and  graceful 
mien  was  universal. 

Upon  a  grand  religious  occasion,  when  a  magnifi- 
cent procession  moved  at  evening,  each  lady  bearing 
aloft  in  her  right  hand  a  lighted  torch,  and  in  her  left 
waiving  a  plam  of  victory,  it  is  recorded  that  a  wo- 
man, with  superstitious  wonder,  approached  Mary, 
while  her  beaming  face  reflected  the  brightness  of  her 
beacon,  and  exclaimed,  "  Are  you  not  indeed  an  an- 
gel ?"  Mary  also  excelled  in  the  art  of  embroidery, 
then  a  popular  and  essential  part  of  female  education, 
and  wdiich  she  cultivated,  together  with  the  invention 
of  heraldic  and  other  devices,  under  the  eye  of  the 
dignified,  refined  and  imperious  Catherine,  the  Queen 
of  France.  It  is  related  by  Conj3eus,  that  while  Mary 
Stuart  was  passing  the  limited  hours,  with  the  King's 
daughters,  in  the  royal  apartment,  she  "had  neither 

3 


34 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


eye  nor  ear  but  for  her  elect  step-mother ;  she  eagerly 
treasured  every  word  that  fell  from  her  lips,  watched 
her  looks,  imitated  her  motions,  and  evidently  was 
anxious  to  form  herself  upon  the  accomplished  model 
before  her."  The  same  writer  adds,  that  when  Cath- 
erine inquired  of  the  princess,  why  she  preferred  her 
society  to  the  companionship  of  youthful  persons,  the 
womanly  maiden  replied,  "  that  with  them  she  might, 
indeed,  enjoy  much,  but  could  learn  nothing ;  whilst 
in  her  Majesty's  wisdom  and  affability  she  found  an 
example  and  a  guide  for  her  future  life."  Catherine 
smiled  at  the  reply,  as  an  idle  compliment.  She  nat- 
urally felt  her  maternal  pride  wounded  by  the  trans- 
cendent attractions  of  her  protege  in  contrast  with  her 
own  daughters,  and  fearing  future  rivalry  in  the  claim 
to  royal  honors,  soon  betrayed  a  secret  enmity  towards 
the  unoffending  Mary. 

Contemplating  the  extraordinary  endowments  of 
the  fair  exile,  with  her  subsequent  history  before  the 
mind,  who  can  suppress  a  rising  sadness  in  view  of 
the  beauteous  victim,  having  all  of  life  that  was  joy- 
ous, and  kept  like  a  pagan  offering  in  the  temple  of 
sacrifice,  caressed  and  crowned  with  garlands,  for 
the  altar. 

And  it  cannot  be  denied  that  Mary  Stuart's  heart 
and  conscience  were  continually  in  danger  ;  if  neither 
were  stained  by  her  friendships  and  contacts  with  the 
accomplished  and  imprincipled  nobility,  she  were  a 
greater  marvel  than  the  Hebrew  amid  the  convivial 
population  of  the  cities,  from  which  he  fled  to  escape 
tlie  retributive  storm.    Her  guardian  uncle.  Cardinal 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


35 


of  Lorraine,  stamped  upon  her  religious  character  his 
own  hostility  to  John  Knox  and  the  spirit  of  reform, 
which  must  have  modified  those  sensibilities  that  are 
refined  by  a  pure  Christianity.  Thus,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  the  fairest  princess  of  Europe  is  a  fascinating, 
flattered,  and  educated  maiden ;  virtuous,  but  her 
gentle  spirit  expanding  in  a  tainted  air ;  conscientious 
in  religious  duties,  but  according  to  the  unsoftened 
dogmas  of  an  ancient  and  persecuting  faith.  Realms 
and  their  sovereigns  are  deeply  interested  in  the  des- 
tiny of  the  exiled  daughter  of  the  House  of  Stuart  — 
a  destiny  which  at  this  early  age  reached  an  exciting 
and  decisive  turn,  in  its  gay  and  onward  march  to  the 
abyss  of  human  woe. 


CHAPTER  II. 


fUE  DAUPniN  mart's  ATTACHMENT  TO  HIM  THE  TREACHEROUS  CONDI- 
TIONS OF  MARRIAGE  THE  MAGNIFICENT  NUPTIALS  THE  COMM ISSIONERS' 

RETURN    TO    SCOTLAND  REJOICINGS    AND    DEVELOPMENTS  ELIZABETH 

ASCENDS  THE    THRONE  OF  ENGLAND  HER  PERSON    AND  CHARACTER  

HENRY  OF  FRANCE  MAKES  HER  THE  RIVAL  OF  MARY  STUART  CHANGES 

IN  THE    FRENCH    COURT  DEATH  OF    HENRY  IL  RESULTS  THE  DAU- 

PHIn's  jot  AT  HIS    ELEVATION  TO    THE    THRONE  THE    CONDITION  OF 

AFFAIRS  IN  SCOTLAND  THE  REGENt's    DEATH  TREATY    OF  PEACR  

DEATH  OF  FRANCIS  IL  MARY's  MOURNING  ELIZABETH'S  CONDOLENCE 

 FOREIGN    AMBASSADORS  CATHERINE'S    JEALOUSY  MARY  PREPARES 

TO  RETURN  TO  SCOTLAND  LETTER    OF    THE    LAIRD  OF    LETHINGTON  — 

NEGOTIATIONS  THE    QUEEn's     JOURNEYINGS  ELIZABETH     REFUSES  A 

SAFE  CONDUCT  MARY's  DEPARTURE  IIER  ADIEU. 

Francis,  son  of  Henry  II.  and  Catherine  de  Medici, 
was  born  at  Fontainebleaii,  January  19,  1514;  and 
was,  therefore,  about  a  year  younger  than  Mary  Stuart, 
by  whom,  from  early  childhood,  he  had  been  regarded 
as  her  future  husband.  This  was  the  arrangement  of 
royal  policy  ;  and  the  youthful  heirs  to  sovereignty 
had,  during  the  pastimes  of  childhood  within  the  same 
palace,  formed  a  mutual  affection.  Tlie  Dauphin* 
was  constitutionally  and  mentally  weak,  yet  amiable, 
and  when  aroused,  energetic.    His  personal  appear- 

*  So  called  from  the  ancient  province  of  Dauphin}',  a  prince  of 
which,  upon  the  loss  of  his  only  son,  bequeathed  his  large  estates 
to  the  King,  on  condition  that  the  eldest  son  of  the  reigning  mon- 
arch of  Franco  should  thereafter  bear  the  title  of  Dauphin. 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


37 


ance  was  plain,  and  liis  disposition  extreme!}^  retiring. 
Shrinking  with  timid  sensibility  from  responsibilities, 
he  was  neither  formed  to  command,  nor  win  the  pop- 
ular homage.  Although  Mary  was  in  all  respects  his 
superior,  eclipsing  by  the  splendor  of  her  talents,  his 
ordinary  endowments,  and  fond  of  learning  as  he  was 
of  intellectual  indolence,  she  evidently  loved  him  for 
his  virtuous  habits  and  enthusiastic  devotion  to  her, 
whose  smile  and  pleasant  words  would  always  kindle 
into  animation,  the  habitual  repose  of  his  yet  juvenile 
features.  But  had  she  even  felt  a  repugnance  to  the  al- 
liance, so  completely  was  she  under  the  influence  of  her 
uncles,  Duke  of  Guise,  who  was  at  the  head  of  mi  li- 
tary  affairs,  and  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  who  controlled 
the  clergy  and  finances,  that  her  real  sentiments 
would  not  have  been  revealed  by  lips  which  were 
carefully  trained  to  the  concealment  of  kingly  de- 
signs and  motives.  Whatever  the  depth  of  Mary's 
love,  the  nuptials  were  appointed  to  be  celebrated  on 
Sunday,  April  S4:th,  1558.  Catherine  opposed  the 
marriage  as  premature,  while  the  secret  reason  was 
the  glory  of  the  princess,  in  conflict  with  the  hopes 
of  her  own  aspiring  family.  The  Protestants  of  Scot- 
land, also,  desired  to  defeat  a  union  which  threatened 
the  dawning  reformation  with  powerful  restraint,  if 
not  temporary  overthrow.  So  bitter  was  the  animos- 
ity, that,  according  to  historical  anecdote,  Stewart,  an 
archer  in  King  Henry's  guard,  attempted  to  poison 
Mary,  but  was  detected  and  beheaded.  There  were 
other  factions  at  home  and  abroad,  hostile  to  the  ap- 
proaching marriage.    All  these  sources  of  solicitude 


38 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


stimulated  ITenry  to  consummate  the  favorite  purpose 
of  liis  heart.  In  the  meantime,  on  the  31st  of  Octo- 
ber, 1557,  he  wrote  to  the  parliament  of  Scotland,  in- 
viting them  to  send  a  deputation  to  Paris,  and  sanc- 
tion the  marriage  in  the  name  of  their  kingdom,  and 
attend  the  ceremonies  of  the  wedding.  December 
14th,  Parliament  met,  and,  assured  by  the  regent's 
plausible  representation,  appointed  nine  commission- 
ers to  fulfill  the  royal  request.  These  were.  Arch- 
bishop of  Glasgow ;  the  Bishops  of  Poss  and  Orkney ; 
the  Earls  of  Pothes  and  Cassillis ;  and  Lords  James 
Stuart,  James  Fleming,  George  Seaton  and  John 
Erskine  of  Dun.  They  were  instructed  to  secure  as 
an  indispensable  condition  of  approval,  from  both  the 
Queen  and  the  Dauphin,  "  a  promise  to  preserve  the 
integrity  of  the  kingdom,  and  observe  its  ancient  laws 
and  liberties."  We  now  have  to  record  a  treacherous 
act,  matured  and  completed  by  a  corrupt  court,  but 
in  which  Mary  was  a  party  by  consent.  She  was 
only  a  maiden,  truly,  but  a  tender  conscience  and 
resolute  will  would  have  dared,  for  honor's  sake,  to 
offend  unscrupulous  aspirants  for  crowns.  On  the 
4th  of  April,  Mary  signed,  at  Fontainebleau,  tw^o  se- 
cret acts  of  sweeping  and  dangerous  import.  Tlie 
first  of  these  acts  was  a  full  and  free  donation  of  Scot- 
land to  the  Kings  of  France,  in  consideration  of  the 
services  which  those  monarchs  had  at  all  times  ren- 
dered to  Scotland,  by  defending  her  against  the  Eng- 
lish, her  ancient  and  iiivetcrate  enemies^  and  especially 
for  the  assistance  which  she  had  received  from  King 
TIenry  TI ,  who  had  maintained  her  independence  at 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


39 


Lis  o^vn  expense  during  the  minority  of  her  Queen. 
*'Tlie  second  act  seemed  framed  merely  to  meet 
the  case  of  the  non-execntion  of  the  first,  in  which 
she  also  conveyed  to  him  any  claims  which  might  ac- 
crue to  her  npon  England  and  Ireland.  The  usufruct 
of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland  was  granted  to  the  King 
of  France,  until  he  should  have  been  repaid  the  sums 
which  he  had  expended  in  her  defence.  Estimating 
these  sums  at  a  million  of  pieces  of  eight,  which  Scot- 
land, in  her  existing  state  of  poverty,  could  not  re- 
store, Mary  Stuart  ordained  that  the  King  of  France 
should  have  the  enjoyment  of  her  kingdom  until  they 
were  entirely  liquidated.  With  the  consent  of  her 
uncles,  the  Duke  of  Guise  and  the  Cardinal  of  Lor- 
raine, whose  opinion  she  had  consulted  on  the  matter, 
she  thus  placed  Scotland  in  pledge  for  debts  which 
Scotland  had  never  accepted." 

April  19th,  the  youthful  Queen  entered  into  the 
most  solemn  engagements  with  the  commissioners, 
directly  in  opposition  to  her  private  pledges. 

"  The  eldest  son  sprung  of  this  marriage  was  to  be 
King  of  France,  and,  if  daughters  only  were  born, 
the  eldest  of  them  was  to  become  Queen  of  Scotland, 
to  receive  four  hundred  thousand  crowns  as  a  daugh- 
ter of  France,  and  not  to  marry  without  the  consent 
of  both  the  estates  of  Scotland  and  the  King  of 
France ;  the  Dauphin  was  to  assume  the  title  and 
arms  of  lung  of  Scotland,  and  if  he  died  after 
his  accession  to  the  throne  of  France,  the  Queen,  his 
widow,  was  to  receive  a  jointure  of  six  hundred  thou- 
sand b'vres." 


40 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Without  the  prospect  of  ultimate  benefit  to  Ilenrj, 
the  conflicting  articles  of  agreement  were  a  sad  lesson 
for  Mary  in  the  art  of  royal  treachery.  Tlie  glow  of 
virtuous  feeling  must  lose  intensity  by  such  contact 
and  yielding,  and  the  lovely  instrument  of  ambitious 
princes  did  not  escape  the  inevitable  result.  Tliia 
was  the  day  of  her  hetrotJunent^  and  in  conformity 
with  custom,  it  was  performed  in  the  great  hall  of  the 
Louvre ;  the  scene  was  private,  and  closed  with  a 
brilliant  ball.  Paris  was  now  alive  with  preparation 
for  the  j)ublic  celebration  of  the  nuptials. 

The  workmen  were  busy  w^th  the  church  of  Xotre 
Dame,  erecting  a  covered  gallery  to  connect  with  the 
Episcopal  palace  of  the  Bishop,  aflbrding  to  the  spec- 
tators through  its  long  vista,  a  view  of  the  royal  pro- 
cession when  it  entered.  It  was  lined  with  purple 
velvet,  and  embossed  w4th  rich  and  elaborite  orna- 
ments, and  opened  at  the  cathedral  into  an  amphi- 
theater of  grand  outline  and  finished  proportions. 
The  Sabbath  dawned,  and  the  throngs  of  excited 
■people  were  hastening  towards  the  ample  area,  to 
witness  the  dazzling  pageant,  which  was  called  in 
honor  of  the  event  celebrated,  the  Triumph.  A  royal 
canopy,  strown  with  the  fiexirs  de  lis,  which  were 
symbols  of  reverence  and  marriage,  hung  over  the 
entrance  of  Kotrc  Dame,  around  which  stood  the  pa- 
pal legate,  archbishops  and  prelates,  in  their  sacer- 
dotal robes.  Military  bands,  with  the  music  of  Swiss 
melodies,  joined  the  imposing  group  of  prelatical 
magnates. 

"  After  these  came  the  Duke  of  Guise,  as  grand- 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS, 


41 


master  of  the  Eang's  household,  who,  having  with  liis 
accustomed  dignity,  sakited  the  Bishop  of  Paris,  Car- 
dinal Eustathius  du  Bellaj,  and  the  princes  of  the 
blood,  turned  towards  the  assembled  crowd,  and  per- 
ceiving that  they  were  impeded  in  their  view,  waved 
his  hand,  and  signified  to  the  grandees  that  they 
should  retire,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  lower  or- 
ders, whilst  he  himself  marshaled  the  procession, 
which  was  heralded  by  music.  The  performers  wore 
an  uniform  of  yellow  and  red ;  but  endless  was  the 
variety  of  their  harmonious  strains,  in  which  the 
trumpet  and  the  lute,  the  bass-viol  and  the  flageolet, 
the  violin  and  hautboy,  all  intermingled  in  harmoni- 
ous concert :  immediately  after  followed  the  two  hun- 
dred gentlemen  attached  to  the  King's  person ;  next, 
the  princes  of  the  blood,  with  their  immediate  at- 
tendants; bishops  and  abbots,  before  whom  were 
borne  their  crosiers  and  mitres,  the  ensigns  of  their 
dignity ;  a  cluster  of  high-capped  cardinals,  among 
whom  were  conspicuous  John  of  Bourbon,  Charles  of 
Lorraine,  and  John  of  Guise  ;  lastly,  came  the  PojDe's 
leirate,  before  whom  was  borne  a  cross  of  massive 
gold ;  after  these  marched  the  Dauphin  Francis,  con- 
ducted by  the  King  of  Xavarre.  Although  his  feeble 
and  ill-proportioned  figure  was  plainly  contrasted  with 
the  tall  martial  form  of  xYnthony  of  Bourbon,  the  im- 
pression was  somewhat  relieved  by  the  presence  of 
his  two  younger  brothers,  the  Dukes  of  Orleans  and 
An2:ouleme.  Far  different  was  the  sensation  created 
by  the  appearance  of  his  fair  bride,  affectionately 
supported  by  her  father-in-law,  the  King  of  France, 


42 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


and  who  was  also  attended  by  her  youthful  kinsman, 
the  Duke  of  Lorraine  :  though  she  had  not  completed 
her  sixteenth  year,  her  stature  rose  considerably  above 
the  female  standard  ;  but  so  perfect  was  the  symme- 
try of  her  form,  and  so  graceful  were  her  movements, 
that  even  this  lofty  height  but  gave  to  her  person  an 
air  of  mingled  dignity  and  elegance,  that  added  to 
her  attractions.  On  this  day,  Brantome  describes  her, 
as  "  more  beautiful  and  charming  than  a  celestial 
goddess ;  for  as  every  eye  dwelt  with  rapture  on  her 
face,  ev^ery  voice  echoed  her  praise ;  whilst,  univer- 
sally, in  the  court  and  city  it  was  re-echoed,  happy, 
thrice  happy,  the  prince  who  should  call  her  his,  even 
though  she.  should  have  had  neither  crown  nor  scep- 
tre to  bestow  !"  Unlike  Brantome,  the  frigid  chron- 
icler, instead  of  expatiating  on  Mary's  charms,  des- 
cants with  much  energy  on  her  superb  attire  :  "  The 
robe,  white  as  the  lily  with  which  it  was  embroidered, 
but  so  prodigally  rich  and  gorgeous,  glittering  with 
diamonds  and  silver,  as  to  be  too  dazzling  for  words 
to  describe."  Her  sweeping  train  was  borne  by  two 
young  girls,  whom  grace  and  beauty  fitted  for 
the  office ;  her  neck  was  encircled  with  a  diamond 
carcanet,  from  which  was  suspended  a  ring  of  inesti- 
mable value  ;  on  her  head  she  wore  a  golden  coronet, 
encircled  with  precious  stones,  in  which  the  diamond, 
the  ruby,  and  the  emerald  contended  for  magnifi- 
cence, and  in  the  centre  of  the  coronet  shone  a  car- 
bunkle  valued  at  five  hundred  crowns.  Although  it 
was  impossible  but  that  such  habiliments  should  have 
attracted  the  vulgar  eye,  we  may  be  permitted  to  sus- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


43 


pect,  that  tliey  ratlier  disguised  than  embellished  a 
youthful  beauty ;  nor  is  it  an  equivocal  proof  of 
Mary's  superior  grace,  that  under  all  this  pomp  and 
state,  she  preserved  her  accustomed  elegance  and  un 
embarrassed  movements.  Behind  tlie  young  Queen 
(not  without  secret  envy)  walked  Catherine  de  Me 
dicis,  with  the  Prince  de  Conde  ;  after  whom  follow 
ed,  in  due  gradation,  Madame  Marguerite,  the  Queei 
of  Navarre,  and  an  almost  interminable  train  ol 
ladies. 

When  the  procession  had  reached  the  great  door  of 
the  church,  the  King  drew  from  his  linger  a  ring, 
.  which  he  gave  to  the  Archbishop  of  Kouen,  who, 
having  placed  it  on  the  young  Queen's  finger,  2)ro- 
nounced  the  nuptial  benediction.  Mutual  congratula- 
tions followed,  and  Mary  gracefully  saluted  aer  hus- 
band by  the  title  of  King  of  Scots.  TK-«  Scottish 
deputies,  whom  the  chronicler  does  not  ouce  deign 
to  mention,  followed  her  example ;  after  which,  the 
Archbishop  of  Paris  delivered  a  suitable  discourse, 
which,  probably,  extorted  not  much  attention.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  Duke  of  Guise  had  succeeded  in 
his  efforts  to  induce  the  nobles  to  open  a  vista  to  the 
people,  who  stood  clustering  in  the  streets,  at  the  win- 
dows, on  turrets,  and  scaffoldings,  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  imposing  spectacle  ;  but  not  even  his  vigilance 
and  activity  were  adequate  to  the  task  of  preserving 
order  and  decorum  among  the  motley  crowd ;  and 
when,  according  to  custom,  the  heralds,  having  pro- 
claimed largess,  in  the  name  of  the  King  and  Queen 
of  Scots,  began  to  shower  money  on  the  people : 


44 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


"Then,"  says  the  clironicler,  ''you  miglit  have  wit- 
nessed tli^  tinnult  and  confusion  of  the  mnkitude ; 
some,  in  their  avidity,  precipitating  themselves  on 
tlieir  companions,  others  fainting,  whilst  many  were 
stript  of  hats,  cloaks,  or  even  skirts ;  so  terrihle  was 
tlie  conflict,  that  at  length  even  the  populace,  in  dis- 
may unutterahle,  implored  the  heralds  to  desist  from 
throwing  among  them  the  golden  bait  of  discord." 

The  bridal  procession  advanced  to  the  choir,  or 
main  space  of  the  edifice,  under  the  royal  canopy, 
and  celebrated  mass.  This  was  followed  b}^  a  costly 
collation  in  the  bishop's  palace,  and  then  a  ball.  At 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  royal  train  returned  to 
their  palace.  The  two  Queens  of  France  sat  together 
in  a  litter  escorted  by  cardinals ;  Henry  and  Francis 
rode  on  horseback,  and  after  them  on  richly  capari- 
soned steeds  came  the  ladies  of  princely  rank.  The 
Duke  of  Guise  presided  over  the  ceremonies  of  the 
evenins:  entertainment.  The  Kin2:'s  band  of  a  hun- 
dred  men,  poured  through  the  ample  apartment, 
strains  of  ravisliino*  music.  While  the  ^ruests  were 
becoming  animated  with  the  prospective  pleasures, 
twelve  artificial  horses,  mantled  in  golden  cloth,  en- 
tered with  the  motion  of  life,  and  bestrode  by  sons 
of  the  nobility.  Next  came  a  company  of  pilgrims, 
each  reciting  a  poem ;  then  were  ushered  into  the 
hall  six  diminutive  galleys,  "  covered  like  Cleopatra's 
barge,  with  cloth  of  gold  and  crimson  velvet ;  so  skill- 
fully contrived  as  to  appear  to  glide  through  the 
waves,  sometimes  rolling,  sometimes  tacking,  then 
veering,  as  if  agitated  by  a  sudden  swell  of  the  tidq 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


45 


till  the  delicate  silken  sails  were  cracked  asunder." 
Upon  the  deck  of  each  sat  a  cavalier,  who,  while  the 
miniature  navy  moved  along,  in  turn  sprang  to  land, 
and  seized  a  fair  ladj,  bearing  her  to  a  vacant  chair 
ready  for  her  reception.  After  these  splendid  pano- 
ramic scenes  there  was  a  grand  tournament,  in  which 
Francis,  from  physical  debility,  was  forbidden  to 
break  a  lance.  For  fifteen  days  this  extravagant  and 
resplendent  festivity  continued.  An  English  writer^ 
gives  the  following  translation  from  Buchanan,  a  poet 
of  that  period,  who  describes  Mary's  beauty  : 

"For  say,  if  met  as  once  on  Ida's  height, 
The  assembled  gods  had  held  their  awful  state ; 
Heard  thy  young  vow,  and  to  tliy  prayer  had  given, 
In  wedded  love,  the  choicest  boon  of  heaven ; 
"What  brighter  form  could  meet  thy  ravish'd  sight, 
Or  fill  thy  bosom  witli  its  pure  delight? 
On  her  fair  broAV  a  regal  grace  she  wears, 
While  3'outh's  own  lustre  on  her  cheek  appears ; 
And  soft  the  rays  from  those  bright  eyes  that  gleam, 
Whose  temper'd  light  and  cliasten'd  radiance  seem, 
As  thought  mature  had  given  the  beams  of  truth, 
Gently  to  mingle  with  the  fire  of  youth." 

Tliere  is  a  tribute  to  the  brave  and  hardy  people  of 
Scotland,  whose  worth  Mary  did  not  overvalue,  from 
her  foreign  education  : 

"I  will  not  tell  of  Scotia's  fertile  shores, 
Or  mountain  tracts  that  teem  with  choicest  ore% 
Or  living  streams,  from  sources  rich,  that  flow, 
For  other  regions  nature's  bounties  show — ■ 
(And  thirst  of  wealth  alone  their  souls  employ, 


M188  Benger. 


46  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


"Whose  grov'ling  spirits  feel  no  loftier  joy.) 

But  this  her  own,  and  tliis  her  proudest  fame, 

The  strength,  the  virtue,  of  her  sons  to  claino. 

'Tis  theirs  in  early  chase  to  rouse  the  wood, 

And  fearless  theirs  to  breast  the  foaming  flood. 

A  land  beloved  to  guard  in  manj^  a  field, 

Their  swords  her  bulwark,  and  their  breasts  her  shield; 

'Tis  theirs  to  prize  pure  fame,  ev'n  life  above. 

Firmly  their  faith  to  keep,  their  God  to  love. 

And  while  sterji  war  its  banner  wide  unfurl'd, 

Terror  and  change  o'er  half  the  nations  liurl'd ; 

This  the  proud  charter  that  in  ages  gone. 

Saved  their  lov'd  freedom  and  its  ancient  throne. 

To  the  parliament  of  this  nation,  the  commissioners 
returned,  believing  their  instructions  faithfully  fulfill- 
ed ;  and  December  following  the  marriage  of  Mary, 
their  mission  and  its  results  were  ratified  by  that  body, 
and  the  matrimonial  crown  was  bestowed  upon  Fran- 
cis. It  was  also  ordered  that  future  acts  be  published 
in  the  name  of  "  Francis  and  Mary,  King  and  Queen 
of  Scotland,  Dauphin  and  Daupliiness  of  Yienne." 

The  youthful  sovereigns  retired  to  a  country  resi- 
dence near  Paris,  while  the  highlands  of  Scotland 
echoed  back  the  shouts,  and  shone  with  the  illumina- 
tions of  popular  rejoicing,  as  the  tidings  of  the  marriage 
spread.  But  these  soon  died  away  before  the  practi- 
cal developments  that  succeeded  the  surface  excite- 
ment of  a  kingdom. 

The  Queen  Dowager  having  secured  her  object, 
began  to  show  without  disguise  her  French  affinities, 
in  official  appointments  and  treating  carelessly  those 
whose  influence  she  had  before  feared.  This  palpable 
change  in  the  exercise  of  her  sovereignty,  gave  a  de- 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


47 


cisive  blow  to  the  supremacy  of  foreign  views;  it 
broke  the  spell  of  quiet  control  which  had  stolen  over 
the  people  from  the  court  of  France.  Another  cause 
of  threatening  disquietude  was  the  conflict  of  Calvin- 
ism with  prelacy.  The  Queen  of  IS'avarre,  and  other 
distinguished  subjects  of  Henry,  warmly  espoused  the 
cause  of  reform,  sustained  as  it  was  by  intellect,  in- 
telligence, and  purity  of  both  worship  and  life.  Ir 
Scotland,  the  Earl  of  Arran  sympathised  with  the  re* 
formers.  Just  as  this  crisis  was  reached,  Mary  Tudor 
of  England  died,  and  the  Protestant  Elizabeth  ascen- 
ded the  throne,  restoring  immediately,  on  the  second 
downfall  of  popery,  the  faith  of  her  father,  Henry 
YHI.,  and  of  her  brother,  Edward  YI.  Soon  as  this 
new  order  of  things  was  established,  introduced  'No- 
vember,  1558,  Mary  Stuart's  relation  to  England  as- 
sumed an  aspect  widely  different  from  that  occupied 
before,  and  modified  essentially  the  condition  of  fac- 
tions in  her  native  realm.  Elizabeth  was  declared  by 
the  French  court,  in  accordance  with  the  Catholic 
sentiment,  illegitimate ;  and  Mary, as  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Henry  VH.,  through  Margaret  Tudor,  was 
deemed  heir  to  the  crown.  Tlie  King  of  France,  with 
a  strange  infatuation,  ordered  the  arms  of  England  to 
be  quartered  on  the  regal  escutcheon  with  those  of 
Scotland,  proclaiming  by  the  act,  the  assumed  right 
and  the  aspiration  to  the  sceptre  of  England,  in  be- 
half of  the  Dauphin  and  Dauphiness.  These  disclo- 
sures naturally  aroused  the  fiery  spirit  of  the  English 
Queen,  who  saw  in  Mary  her  rival  to  royalty  and 
glory.    Under  the  bloody  reign  of  her  sister,  she  bad 


48 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


lived  in  comparative  seclusion,  dissembling  the  reli 
gious  faith  and  strong  feelings,  which  were  cherished 
like  subterranean  fires,  beneath  an  exterior  haughtily 
calm,  and  delusively  smiling.  Giovanni  Michele,  the 
Yenitian  ambassador,  describes  her  person,  accom- 
plishments, and  hints  at  her  character,  in  his  records 
of  the  times,  when  Elizabeth  was  twenty-three  years 
of  age : 

"  She  is  no  less  remarkable  in  body  than  in  mind, 
although  her  features  are  rather  agreeable  than  beau- 
tiful. She  is  tall  in  person  and  well-made ;  her  com- 
plexion is  brilliant  though  rather  dark.  She  has  fine 
eyes ;  but  above  all,  a  splendid  hand,  which  she  is 
very  fond  of  showing.  She  possesses  great  tact  and 
ability,  as  she  has  abundantly  proved  by  the  wise  way 
in  which  she  has  conducted  herself  in  the  midst  of 
the  suspicions  of  which  she  was  the  object,  and  of  the 
perils  which  surrounded  her.  She  surpasses  the 
Queen,  her  sister,  in  her  knowledge  of  languages. 
Besides  English,  Spanish,  French,  Italian,  and  Latin, 
which  she  knows  as  well  as  her  sister,  she  has  no 
slight  acquaintance  with  Greek.  She  is  hanghty  and 
high-spirited.  Although  born  of  a  mother  beheaded 
for  adultery,  she  esteems  herself  no  less  highly  than 
the  Queen,  her  sister,  and  considers  herself  equally 
legitimate.  It  is  said  that  she  is  very  much  like  the 
King,  her  father,  to  whom  she  was  always  very  dear 
on  that  account,  and  who  had  her  as  well  educated 
as  the  Queen,  and  made  an  equal  provision  for  their 
both  in  his  will." 

Elizabeth  was  clearlv  Mary  Stuart's  superior  in  vi^ 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


4:9 


orous  intellect,  masculine  judgment,  and  general  force 
of  character ;  while  she  was  her  equal,if  not  in  beau- 
ty, in  mental  culture  and  the  fascination  of  a  lively 
imagination.  Tliough  less  gentle  and  winning  than 
her  rival,  she  was  endowed  with  the  qualities  of  a 
great  and  successful  Queen.  Surrounding  herself 
with  a  cabinet  of  strong  minds  and  devoted  hearts, 
she  swayed  them  and  her  subjects  with  a  will  which 
disdained  counsel,  only  as  an  expression  of  views 
which  might  strengthen,  without  controlling  her  own 
unbiased  decisions.  She  declared  this  independence 
with  self-glorying,  when  she  said,  "  that  she  would  let 
the  world  know  that  there  was  in  England  a  woman 
who  acted  like  a  man,  and  who  was  aw^ed  neither  by 
a  constable  of  Montmorency,  like  the  King  of  France, 
nor  by  a  bishop  of  Anas,  like  the  King  of  Spain." 
^  The  reformers  and  restive  parties  of  Scotland  found  a 
friend  in  the  English  sovereign,  and  these  events  ri- 
pened the  royal  collision;  when  changes  in  France 
gave  a  new  form  and  interest  to  the  struggle  for  do- 
minion. 

The  26th  of  June,  1559,  *was  appointed  for  the  es- 
pousals of  Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Henry, 
to  Philip  of  Spain.  The  order  of  arrangements  re- 
sembled that  of  Mary's  marriage.  The  princess 
passed  the  night  of  the  24th  in  the  bishop's  palace, 
and  was  led  to  the  altar  of  Notre  Dame  through  a 
covered  gallery,  attended  with  the  lavish  display  of 
royal  treasures,  which  never  failed,  whether  the  poor 
and  toiling  masses  were  fed,  or  lifting  their  piteous 
cry  for  bread.  The  bride  appeared  in  robes  of  golden 
G  4 


50 


MAET    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


texture,  studded  with  diamonds,  her  brow  resplendent 
with  a  crown  of  jewels,  beneath  which  beamed  her 
dark  and  expressive  eyes,  while  the  flush  of  excite- 
ment betrayed  a  sensitive  nature,  oppressed  with  the 
burden  of  queenly  honors.  This  gorgeous  scene  was 
succeeded  by  banquets  and  balls,  with  the  usual  pa- 
geant of  a  grand  tournament. 

The  Place  Antoine  was  selected  for  the  field  of 
contest. 

An  ample  theatre  was  erected  for  the  spectators, 
and  crowded  with  noble  and  anxious  beholders. 
Never  before  was  gathered  to  such  an  entertainment 
60  great  an  aiisemblage  of  foreign  princes,  ambassa- 
dors, and  generals.  The  national  costumes  and  the 
insignia  of  rank  bewildered  the  eye.  That  vain  glory 
which  had  emblazoned  on  the  heraldic  scroll  Mary's 
claim  to  the  sceptre  of  England,  displayed  the  device  * 
on  the  Dauphin's  banners,  carried  by  his  band,  who 
opened  the  jousts.  The  British  ambassadors  frowned, 
and  the  attendants  of  the  fair  Stuart  exclaimed,  as  she 
was  borne  to  her  royal  balcony,  "  Place,  place  for  the 
Queen  of  England !"  There  can  be  no  apology  for 
this  insult  to  Elizabeth  of  England,  which  foreshad- 
owed future  son-ow. 

The  next  day  King  Henry  entered  the  lists.  Ills 
fine  figure  and  stately  bearing  were  well  set  off  by 
his  black  and  white  costume  ;  and  near  him  rode  the 
Duke  of  Guise,  who,  in  honor  of  a  remembered  beauty, 
wore  a  crimson  livery.  Tlie  monarch  won  victo- 
ries, and  was  applauded  by  the  excited  multitude. 
The  third  day  of  the  tournament,  he  was  riding, 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


51 


with  a  heart  animated  and  proud  with  success,  ovei 
the  plain  strown  with  the  tokens  of  conflict,  when 
he  discovered  two  unbroken  lances.  Seizing  one 
of  them,  he  challenged  Count  Montgommeri  to  w^ield 
the  other.  The  count  hesitated,  and  the  King's 
family  sent  messages  of  expostulation,  as  if  a  dread 
presentiment  of  evil  had  clouded  their  joy.  But 
flushed  and  ardent,  he  ordered  Montgommeri  to 
wheel  for  combat.  The  signal  was  given,  and  amidst 
the  wild  acclamations  of  the  people,  the  brave  steeds 
bore  their  riders  toward  the  decisive  encounter 
Henry's  martial  air  was  never  more  kingly,  as  ho 
dashed  toward  the  graceful  Montgommeri.  The  lar.- 
ces  met,  and  Henry  reeled  in  his  saddle,  while  a  hush, 
then  cries  of  alarm,  followed  the  tragical  close  of  pop- 
ular rejoicings.  A  splinter  of  the  count's  lance  had 
pierced  the  visor,  and  when  the  helmet  was  lifted, 
large  red  drops  oozed  from  his  death-wound.  Ho 
exonerated  his  victor  from  blame,  and  after  sufferin^^ 
eleven  days,  died  July  10th,  1559. 

Pasquier,  in  his  annals  of  those  times,  gives  the 
impression  made  on  the  public  mind  by  this  fatal 
combat.  He  alludes  to  the  alliance  and  treaty  with 
Philip  of  Spain,  and  the  persecution  of  Protestants^ 
which  followed  a  union  of  the  Catholic  monarchs,  se- 
cured by  the  interference  of  a  Jesuitical  monk.  Pas- 
quier will  not  allow  what  strikes  the  serious  student 
of  history  as  altogether  probable,  that  Henry's  fate 
was  a  rebuke  from  Heaven,  of  his  vaunting  ambi- 
tion. 

"  This  deplorable  catastrophe  has  given  rise  to  va- 


52 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


rious  sinister  reflections ;  and  there  are  some  who 
fancy  tliey  discover  in  it  the  visible  retribution  of 
Providence,  since,  if  we  may  credit  the  assertions  of 
Cardinal  Lorraine,  the  King  had  hurried  the  peace 
purposely,  that  he  might  be  at  leisure  to  extirpate  by 
force,  the  heresy  of  Calvin.  AYith  this  view,  he  sud- 
denly presented  himself  to  the  parliament,  on  the  10th 
of  June,  to  collect  the  various  opinions  of  the  members, 
of  whom  the  majority  recommended  the  suspension 
of  penal  laws,  and  the  convocation  of  a  general  coun- 
cil. In  the  course  of  these  deliberations,  the  King, 
having  heard  certain  sentiments,  with  which  he  was 
justly  offended,  ordered  several  of  the  orators  to  be 
taken  into  custody.  Tliey  were  instantly  conveyed  to 
the  Bastille,  whence,  according  to  certain  sinister  in- 
terpreters, the  evil  has  lighted  upon  him  by  the  spe- 
cial w^ill  of  God,  for  having  interrupted  men  in  the 
exercise  of  their  official  duties.  It  is  also  observed 
that,  as  it  was  on  the  10th  of  June  that  he  consigned 
the  counselors  to  the  Bastille,  so  it  was  on  the  10th  of 
July  that  he  received  the  stroke  of  death  ;  thus  rea- 
son the  misjudging  multitude,  who  speak  from  pas- 
sion rather  than  reason.  But  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
he  should  have  commenced  his  reign  on  the  10th  of 
June,  with  the  combat  of  Jarnac  and  la  Chataigne- 
raie  ;  and  that,  on  the  10th  of  July,  it  was  terminated 
in  consequence  of  his  combat  with  Montgommeri.  . 

"  His  corpse  lies  in  state  in  the  very  hall  which  he 
had  erected  for  the  celebration  of  the  nuptial  festivi- 
ties.   The  constable,  in  disgrace,  watches  the  corpse ; 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


53 


the  Guises  are  omnipotent,  tlie  joiing  King  having 
espoused  their  niece  ;  the  queen-mother  is  greatly 
commiserated  ;  and  consternation  universally  prevail 
with  the  people." 

During  the  last  moments  of  Henry,  amid  the  la- 
mentations and  tears  of  relatives,  according  to  Mary's 
desire.  Cardinal  Lorraine  and  Duke  of  Guise  were 
selected  as  the  future  ministers  of  the  Dauphin. 
To  complete  the  arrangements  for  a  permanent  har- 
mony with  foreign  sovereigns,  Margaret,  the  youngei 
sister  of  Francis,  was  privately  married  to  the  Duke 
of  Savoy,  in  the  light  of  torches,  with  an  epithalam 
ium  of  convulsive  sobs,  and  the  almost  audibl-e  gasp- 
ing of  the  dying  monarch.  Francis  was  confined 
to  his  couch  in  the  palace  of  Tournelles,  when  the 
officers  of  state  entered  his  apartment,  and  announced 
his  father's  death,  on  the  bended  knee  of  loyalty,  by 
saluting  him  King.  As  if  an  unearthly  voice  had 
sent  the  health-thrill  along  his  nerves,  he  sprang  from 
his  bed,  and  declared  he  was  w^ell.  Such  is  the  mas- 
tery of  ambition ;  it  gives  to  boyhood  the  front  of  a 
heartless  trifler  with  human  affection  and  the  soul's 
departure  to  eternal  scenes,  and  like  the  eagle  whose 
eye  confronts  the  sun,  it  gazes  restlessly  though  vainly 
upon  the  veiled  splendor  of  the  "White  Throne." 
Scarcely  had  Francis  conferred  with  his  counselors, 
before  his  mother  joined  them,  to  accompany  him  to 
the  Louvre,  where  would  be  offered  the  usual  con- 
gratulations and  homage,  upon  the  transfer  of  a  crown 
to  the  brow  of  a  successor.  Mary  silently  followed 
in  the  train,  when  Cathenne,  who  saw  the  declir^ng 


MAEY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


glory  oi  her  family,  in  the  elevation  of  the  Guises, 
said  to  h^r,  ^*  Pass  on,  madam  ;  it  is  now  for  you  to 
take  precedoncQ."  The  young  Queen  acknowledged 
the  civility,  but  on  reaching  the  chariot,  refused  to  en- 
ter, until  the  desponding  and  ambitious  widow  passed 
in  before  her.  T!.ie  Dauphin  was  crowned  at  Rheims, 
where  that  ceremony  had  long  been  performed,  and 
immediately  assumed  the  reins  of  government.  In 
the  meantime,  the  revolution  in  Scotland,  remotely  kin- 
dled by  the  resurrec  tion  tones  of  Luther's  voice,  and, 
favored  by  the  brave  martyr,  Wishart,  and  the  fear- 
less Knox,  had  gone  forward  among  the  people. 
Lord  James  Stuart,  the  Queen's  brother,  Lord  John 
Erskine,  and  Lord  Lorn,  had  joined  the  standard  of 
the  bold  reformer,  w4th  other  influential  barons,  and 
formed  themselves  into  religious  congregations. 
Wherever  Knox  was  summoned  by  the  offended 
pri(isthood,  he  scattered  the  live  coals  of  truth  upon 
the  popular  mind.  At  length,  emboldened  and  en- 
couraged by  success,  he  appealed  to  the  regent,  Ma- 
ry of  Lorraine,  for  royal  sanction  to  the  new  doctrines. 
She  met  his  demand  with  scorn,  and  assured  him  it 
was  time  to  interpose  a  barrier  to  the  waves  of  revo- 
lution, dangerous  both  to  church  and  state.  Knox 
was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  wrathful  enemy  to  his  re- 
treat— Geneva,  the  home  of  Calvin.  Soon  after  follow- 
ed the  solemn  covenant  proposed  by  the  exiled  re- 
former, which  was  a  mutual  pledge  by  the  Protest- 
ants to  openly  expose  the  corruptions  of  Pome,  and 
worship  God  according  to  their  own  conscience. 
They  farther  formed  an  insurrectionary  government, 


MART  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


55 


called  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation^  wliicli  prepared 
the  way  for  bloody  collision  with  the  state. 

The  regent,  elated  with  prosperity  in  her  favorite 
plans,  became  more  intolerant,  until  she  virtually  de- 
clared civil  war,  by  affirming  the  decisions  of  the 
bishops  against  heretics,  and  declaring  her  purpose 
to  restore,  on  the  overthrow  of  the  reformers,  the  uni- 
versal sway  of  the  Catholic  church.  Some  of  the 
fiercest  battles  of  the  Covenantei*s  were  fought  about 
the  time  Henry  of  France  received  the  fatal  lance  of 
Montgommeri.  An  armistice,  extending  to  July  24:th, 
1560,  followed. 

This  interlude  was  employed  by  the  regent  in 
sending  a  requisition  to  her  daughter  for  French 
troops,  who  were  inactive,  because  of  the  peace  of 
Cateau-Cambresis,  while  Knox  proceeded  to  Berwick, 
to  negotiate  with  the  English  governor  for  ships  and 
soldiers,  with  which  the  Protestant  cause  might  be 
sustained  against  foreign  foes.  Elizabeth's  sympa- 
thies and  jealousy  of  Mary  inclined  her  to  comply 
with  his  request;  but  she  disliked  both  the  term 
champion,  who  had  written  against  female  sovereign- 
ty in  the  state,  and  the  Presbyterian  form  of  the  revo- 
lution. She  first  sent  them  three  thousand  pounds 
sterling,  and  after  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation  in 
public  assembly  passed  a  resolution,  deposing  the 
queen-regent,  she  agreed  to  furnish  men  and  muni- 
tions of  war,  on  condition  of  reciprocity  in  case  the 
French  turned  their  arms  against  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. The  revolutionary  party  preserved  the  appear- 
ance of  loyalty  to  their  sovereign,  by  making  the 


56 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


treaty  in  lier  name,  with  the  promise  of  obedience  to 
her  commands  in  all  things  that  did  not  tend  to  mo- 
lest the  ancient  laws  and  liberties  of  the  land.  Eliz- 
abeth replied  to  the  charge  of  intervention  in  the 
affairs  of  Scotland,  in  the  following  strain,  denying 
that  the  nobility  of  that  realm  were  rebels : 

"  And  truly,  if  these  barons  should  permit  the  gov- 
ernment of  their  kingdom  to  be  wrested  ont  of  their 
hands  during  the  absence  of  their  Queen ;  if  they 
tamely  gave  up  the  independence  of  their  native 
country,  whilst  she  used  the  counsel,  not  of  the  Scots, 
but  solely  of  the  French,  her  mother  and  other  for- 
eigners being  her  advisers  in  Scotland,  and  the  Car- 
dinal and  Duke  of  Guise  in  France,  it  were  a  good 
cause  for  the  world  to  speak  shame  of  them ;  nay,  if 
the  young  Queen  'herself  should  happen  to  survive  her 
husband,  she  would  in  such  a  case  have  just  occasion 
to  condemn  them  all  as  cowards  and  unnatural 
subjects." 

During  the  long  and  remarkable  siege  of  Leith, 
which  followed  these  events,  Mary  of  Lorraine,  ex- 
hausted with  anxiety  and  care,  was  taken  sick,  and 
conveyed  to  Edinburgh  castle.  She  was  soon  aware 
of  approaching  dissolution,  and  asked  an  interview 
with  the  leaders  of  the  Protestant  party.  The  meet- 
ing was  kind  and  affecting.  She  recounted  the  troub- 
les of  her  kingdom,  whose  burden  had  hastened  her 
death,  and  advised  the  reinoval  of  all  foreign  troops, 
and  an  adherence  to  that  alliance  which  would  best 
preserve  their  national  independence.  Then  embra- 
cing them  with  a  dying  kiss,  she  died  amid  their  tears, 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


57 


June  10th,  1560.  She  had  intellect  and  hearty  but, 
led  by  ambition,  and  ruled  by  French  advisers,  she 
embittered  her  widowhood,  involved  her  enthroned 
daughter  in  mournful  calamities,  and  breathed  her 
last,  encircled  with  foes  instead  of  family  friends,  whom 
she  left  in  her  native  clime,  for  the  empty  honors  of 
a  brief  regency.  A  treaty  of  peace  sealed  after  her 
decease,  contained  the  following  articles :  "  The 
French  troops  were  to  evacuate  Scotland ;  the  fortifi- 
cations of  Leith  to  be  demolished  ;  the  sovereigns  of 
France  cease  to  bear  the  arms  and  title  of  King  and 
Queen  of  England ;  the  Duke  of  Chatelherault  and 
other  Scottish  nobles  who  possessed  property  in 
France,  to  have  restored  to  them  the  lands  and  titles 
of  which  they  had  been  deprived  since  their  rebellion ; 
the  high  offices  of  Chancellor,  Treasurer,  and  Comp- 
troller to  be  conferred  not  upon  ecclesiastics  but  upon 
laymen ;  and  the  guardianship  as  well  as  the  admin- 
istration of  the  kingdom  never  to  be  again  entrusted 
to  foreign  soldiers  and  dignitaries.  The  conduct  of  af- 
fairs was  to  be  confided  to  a  council  of  twelve  members, 
seven  pf  whom  were  to  be  nominated  by  the  Queen, 
and  five  by  the  estates  of  the  realm  ;  and  this  council 
was  instructed  to  introduce  a  better  system  into  the 
government  of  the  country.  It  was  also  agreed  that 
a  free  Parliament  should  assemble  in  the  month  of 
August." 

English  influence  and  the  reformers  were  now  fairly 
in  the  ascendant. 

Meanwhile  the  health  of  Francis  II.,  which  had  al- 
ways been  frail,  rapidly  failed.  The  Guises  wera 
C^ 


58 


MART  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


busy  with  plans  for  tlie  extermination  of  Protestant- 
ism in  JVance,  which,  with  other  ambitions  and  law- 
less schemes,  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  terrible  harvest  for 
unhappy  France.  The  young  King  was  no  more  than 
the  toy  of  their  fancy.  One  day  suddenly  fointing, 
he  was  borne  to  his  chamber  to  die.  Mary  watched 
by  his  bedside  faithfully,  whose  kindness  he  appreci- 
ated with  child-like  gratitude,  and  for  whom  he  de- 
sired of  Catherine,  his  mother,  maternal  interest.  He 
expired  December  5th,  1560,  separating  in  his  death 
the  crowns  of  Scotland  and  France,  and  suspending 
the  almost  imperial  power  of  the  Princes  of  Lorraine. 
However  sincerely  Mary  may  have  mourned  the  loss 
of  Francis  as  a  husband^  in  a  political  view  the  union 
had  been  of  disastrous  omen  to  her  future  prospects. 
It  had  given  energy  and  triumphs  to  the  Reforma- 
tion, made  the  French  odious,  and  shorn  the  regal 
authority  of  its  strength  and  majesty  to  the  Scotch 
nation.  Mary  saw  the  extent  of  her  bereavement  — 
left  an  orphan  and  widow  at  eighteen,  and  compelled 
to  abandon  a  throne,  for  the  regency  of  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  whose  aspirations  for  power  were  so  revived 
by  the  Stuart's  affliction,  that  she  seemed  cheerfully 
to  sacrifice  an  inefficient  son.  The  Queen,  sadly 
beautiful  in  her  grief,  retired  to  seclusion  in  the  pal- 
ace, whose  solitude  for  several  weeks  was  broken  only 
by  the  presence  of  immediate  relatives.  The  device 
which  f.he  invented  for  a  mourning  seal,  was  a  liquor- 
ice tree.,  whose  root  only  is  valuable  ;  beneath  it  was 
"Dulce  meum  terra  tegit" — My  treasure  is  in  the 
ground.    The  following  letter  was  written  in  answer 


MARY    QUEEN  OF  SC0T3. 


59 


to  messages  of  condolence  from  Philip  ;  and  in  its 
brevity  exhibits  a  refined  sense  of  propriety,  while  its 
sentiment  is  altogether  womanly  and  touching : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  KING  PHILIP  II. 

"  To  the  King  of  Spain. 

"  Monsieur  my  good  Brother  —  I  was  unwilling  to 
omit  this  opportunity  of  writing  to  you,  to  thank  you 
for  the  polite  letters  you  sent  me  by  Signor  Don  An- 
tonio, and  for  the  civil  things  which  he  and  your  em- 
bassador said  to  me  concerning  the  sorrow  you  felt 
for  the  death  of  the  late  King,  my  lord,  assuring  you, 
monsieur  my  good  brother,  that  you  have  lost  in  him 
the  best  brother  you  ever  had,  and  that  you  have  com- 
forted by  your  letters  the  most  afflicted,  poor  woman 
under  heaven,  God  having  bereft  me  of  all  that  I  lov- 
ed and  held  dear  on  earth,  and  left  me  no  other  con- 
solation whatever  but  when  I  see  those  who  deplore 
his  loss  and  my  too  great  misfortune.  God  will  assist 
me,  if  he  pleases,  to  bear  what  comes  from  him  with 
patience ;  as  I  confess  that,  without  his  aid,  I  should 
find  so  great  a  calamity  too  insupportable  for  my 
strength  and  my  little  virtue.  But,  knowing  that  it 
is  not  reasonable  you  should  be  annoyed  by  my  let- 
ters, which  can  only  be  filled  with  this  melancholy 
subject,  I  will  conclude,  after  beseeching  you  to  be  a 
good  brother  to  me  in  my  affliction,  and  to  continue 
me  in  your  favor,  to  which  I  afi'ectionately  commend 
myself,  praying  God  to  give  you,  monsieur  my  good 
brothei,  as  much  happiness  as  I  wish  you. 
Your  very  good  sister  and  cousin, 


i]0 


M\RY  QtJEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


Elizabeth  of  England  sont  the  Earl  of  Bedford  to 
convey  her  condolence  to  her  mourning  rival.  After 
this  duty  was  performed,  he  urged  the  Queen,  as 
Throckmorton,  the  English  ambassador,  had  before 
vainly  done,  to  ratify  the  treaty  of  Edinburgh.  It  is 
not  singular  that  she  continued  to  refuse,  while  her 
aspirings  towards  a  foreign  throne  w^ere  cherished  by 
the  controlling  minds  of  the  house  of  Lorraine.  She 
expressed  the  desire  to  have  a  personal  interview  with 
Elizabeth,  and  requested  her  portrait ;  and  thus  ter- 
minated the  two-fold  mission  of  the  earl.  Tlie  Span- 
ish ambassador  was  amons:  the  first  foreiern  officials 
admitted  to  the  presence  of  Mary,  and  Catherine  saw 
in  the  incident  the  foreshadowins:  of  an  oifer  of  mar- 
riage  to  Don  Carlos,  son  of  Philip  II. 

The  sovereigns  of  Sweden  and  Denmark  also  as- 
pired to  a  similar  honor.  The  regent  of  France,  from 
suspicion  of  an  alliance  unfavorable  to  her  augment- 
ing power,  or  prompted  by  a  cherished  antipathy  to 
Mary,  intimated  to  the  duke  and  cardinal  her  wish 
to  have  the  attractive  young  Queen  more  remote  from 
the  arena  of  her  own  ambitious  designs.  The  duke 
therefore,  who  was  a  man  of  high  spirit  and  no  prin 
ciple,  persuaded  his  niece  to  depart  for  Hheims,  \/here 
her  mother's  form  was  buried.  Thence  she  was  to 
visit  her  grand-mother,  Duchess  of  Guise,  at  Joinville, 
who  still  lived  in  dismal  solitude  ;  and,  soon  after 
as  possible,  embark  for  Scotland.  Mary  loved  the 
sunny  clime  of  France.  It  had  been  the  home  of  her 
childhood,  and  her  dead  were  there.  Her  sensitive 
nature  recoiled  from  the  cold  air  and  sterner  manners 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


61 


of  lier  native  land.  At  tliis  crisis  a  letter  was  written 
from  the  "Laird  of  Letliington"  to  Sir  William  Cecil, 
that  gives  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  attitude  of 
factions  in  Scotland,  and  from  which  a  passage  is  quo- 
ted, disclosing  the  public  feeling  in  view  of  Mary's 
expected  advent : 

"  Sir  :  Tliat  thus  long  I  have  delayed  to  write  unto 
your  honor,  I  pray,  impute  it  only  to  my  absence. 
I  have  been  these  forty  days  in  the  north  parts  of 
Scotland  with  my  Lord  James,  where  we  have  not 
been  altogether  unoccupied  ;  but  so  far  as  occasion 
would  serve,  advancing  the  religion  and  common 
cause.  Since  our  returning,  I  have  understood  the 
stay  of  Monsieur  d'Osel,  and  judge  that  you  have 
wisely  foreseen  the  inconveniences  that  might  have 
followed  upon  his  coming  hither.  I  do  also  allow 
your  opinion  anent  the  Queen  our  sovereign's  journey 
towards  Scotland  ;  whose  coming  hither,  if  she  be  en- 
emy to  the  religion,  and  so  affected  towards  that 
realm,  as  she  yet  appeareth,  shall  not  fail  to  raise 
wonderful  tragedies.  Although  the  religion  here  hath 
in  outward  ajpjpearance  the  upper  hand,  and  few  or 
none  there  'be  that  openly  dare  profess  the  contrary^ 
yet  hioio  we  the  hollow  hearts  of  a  great  numher^  who 
would  he  glad  to  see  it  and  us  overthrown  y  and  if 
time  served^  would  join  with  her  authority  to  that  ef- 
fect :  but  I  foresee,  that  the  difficulty  thereof  shall 
make  that  which  is  most  principal  in  intention  be  last 
in  execution.  Sure  I  am,  the  suppressing  of  religion 
is  chiefly  meant,  but  the  same  must  be  pressed  but 


62 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


l)y  indirect  means.  First  of  all,  the  comfort  which  we 
have  of  the  Queen's  majesty's"^  friendship  must  be  cut 
off  hy  dissolution  of  the  intelligence  begun  of  late ; 
which  being  not  feasible  in  her  absence,  her  own 
presence  will  make  more  easy.  The  Papists,  you 
know,  be  in  their  hearts,  for  religion's  sake,  altogether 
enemies  to  this  conjunction.  Those  that  gave  them- 
selves forth  for  Protestants  be  not  all  alike  earnestly 
bent  to  maintain  it.  Some  have  been  accustomed  so 
to  feed  upon  the  French  fare,  that  their  delicate  stom- 
achs cannot  well  digest  any  other.  Some  be  so  cov- 
etous, that  wheresoever  the  lure  of  commodity  is  show- 
ed unto  them,  thither  will  they  fly.  Some  so  incon- 
stant, that  they  may  be  easily  carried  away  by  the 
countenance  of  their  princess'  presence,  sometimes 
showing  them  a  good  visage,  and  sometimes,  as  oc- 
casion shall  require,  frow^ning  on  them.  Others  there 
be  so  careless  and  ignorant,  that  they  will  rather  re- 
spect their  present  ease,  which  shall  bring  after  it  most 
grievous  calamities,  than  with  the  hazard  of  a  little 
present  incommodity  put  them  and  theirs  in  full  se- 
curity afterwards  :  these  to  be  a  great  number,  in  our 
late  danger,  we  had  large  experience  ;  yet  I  doubt  not 
but  the  best  sort  will  constantly  and  stoutly  bear  out 
that  which  they  have  begun.  Marry,  what  difficulty 
and  hazard  shall  be  in  it,  you  may  judge,  when  the 
Queen  shall  so  easily  win  to  her  party  the  whole  Pa- 
jnsts,  and  so  many  Protestants  as  be  either  addicted 

*  Elizabeth, — a  correspondence  with  whose  ministers  had  com- 
menced  during  the  commotions  in  Scotland,  and  was  regularly  con- 
tinued till  her  death. 


MAKY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


63 


to  the  Fiencli  fiiction,''''  covetous,  inconstant,  uneasy, 
ignorant,  or  careless.  So  long  as  lier  highness  is  ab- 
sent, in  this  case,  there  is  no  peril ;  but  you  may 
judge  what  the  presence  of  a  prince,  being  craftily 
counseled,  is  able  to  bring  to  pass.  Every  man  once 
in  a  year  hath  to  do  with  his  prince's  benevolence ; 
if  at  that  time,  when  his  particular  business  occurreth, 
her  countenance  shall  be  but  strange  to  him  in  sight 
of  the  peril,  in  what  case  shall  the  subject  then  be? 
Every  man  hath  in  his  private  causes  some  enemy  or 
unfriend :  what  boldness  shall  they  not  take,  seeing 
an  advantage,  and  knowing  their  adversary  to  be  out 
of  the  prince's  good  grace  ?  She  will  not  be  served 
with  those  that  bear  any  good- will  to  England.  Some 
quarrel  shall  be  picked  to  them,  not  directly  for  reli- 
gion at  the  first ;  but  where  the  accusation  of  heresy 
would  be  odious,  men  must  be  charged  with  treason. 
The  like  of  this  in  that  realm,  I  think,  hath  been  seen 
in  Queen  Mary's  days ;  a  few  number  thus  disgraced, 
dispatched,  or  dispersed,  the  rest  will  be  an  easy 
prey,  and  then  may  the  butchery  of  Bonner  plainly 
begin.  I  make  not  this  discourse  as  our  meaning  to 
debar  her  majesty  from  her  kingdom,  or  that  we  would 
wish  she  should  never  come  home  (for  that  were  the 
part  of  an  unnatural  subject,)  but  rather  desiring  such 
things  as  be  necessary  so  to  he  provided  far  in  the 
meantime^  that  neither  she,  by  following  the  wicked 
advice  of  God's  enemies,  to  lose  the  hearts  of  her  sub- 
jects, neither  yet  so  many  as  tender  the  glory  of  God 

•  The  French  and  English  factions  still  distracted  Scotland- 


64 


MART  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


and  liberties  of  tlieir  native  country,  to  be  tlie  sons  of 
death.  The  best  is,  that  intelligence  begun  betwixt 
these  two  kingdoms  may  endure  and  be  increased,  the 
breach  whereof  I  know  will  be  attempted  by  all  means 
possible. 

"  The  great  desire  I  have  of  the  continuance,  maketh 
me  so  earnest  to  wish  that  her  majesty  may  be  indu- 
ced by  good  means  to  enter  in  the  same  conjunction  ; 
wliereunto  if  she  cannot  by  one  way  or  other  be  per- 
suaded, then  can  I  not  but  doubt  of  the  success  in  the 
end.  Although  I  do  chiefly  respect  the  common 
cause  and  public  estate,  yet  doth  my  own  private  not 
a  little  move  me  to  be  careful  in  this  behalf.  In  what 
case  I  stand,  you  will  easily  judge  by  sight  of  the  en- 
closed, which,  I  pray  you,  return  to  me  with  speed. 
I  know  by  my  very  friends  in  France,  that  she  hath 
conceived  such  an  opinion  of  my  affection  towards 
England,  that  it  killeth  all  the  means  I  can  have  to 
enter  in  any  favor. 

"  But  if  it  might  be  compassed  that  the  Queen's 
majesty  and  her  highness  might  be  as  dear  friends  as 
they  be  tender  cousins,  then  were  I  able  enough  to 
have  as  good  part  in  her  good  grace,  as  any  other  of 
my  quality  in  Scotland.  If  this  cannot  be  brougiit  to 
pass,  then  I  see  well,  at  length,  it  will  be  hard  for  me 
to  dwell  in  Rome,  and  strive  with  the  Pope.  I  as- 
sure you  this  wdiole  realm  is  in  a  miserable  case.  If 
the  Queen,  our  sovereign,  come  shortly  home,  the  dan- 
gers be  evident  and  many  ;  and  if  she  shall  not  come, 
it  is  not  without  great  peril ;  yea,  what  is  not  to  be 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


65 


feared  in  a  realm  lacking  lawful  government  ?  It  is 
now  more  than  two  years  past  that  we  have  lived  in 
a  manner  without  any  regiment ;  which,  when  I  con- 
sider sometimes  with  myself,  I  marvel  from  whence 
doth  proceed  the  quietness  which  w^e  presently  enjoy, 
the  like  whereof,  I  think,  all  circumstances  being 
weighed,  was  never  seen  in  any  realm.  It  would 
seem  impossible  that  any  people  could  so  long  be  con- 
tained in  order,  without  fear  of  punishment  and  strict 
execution  of  the  laws ;  and,  indeed,  I  cannot  by 
searching,  find  out  any  probable  reason,  but  only  that 
it  has  pleased  the  goodnes  of  God  to  give  this  glory  to 
his  truth  preached  among  us  ;  but  by  all  worldly  judg- 
ment, the  policy  cannot  thus  long  endure ;  so  that  for 
this  respect  her  absence  to  ns  is  most  pernicious. 
Thus,  whether  she  come  or  not,  we  be  in  a  great  strait." 

Tlie  Catholic  party,  at  a  secret  meeting,  commission- 
ed John  Lesley,  of  Aberdeen,  to  assure  the  Queen  of 
their  unabated  devotion  to  her  majesty.  He  inter- 
cepted her  at  Yitry  in  Champagne,  en  route  from 
Klieims,  where  she  had  passed  a  part  of  the  winter, 
to  Joinville.  Lesley  proposed  an  immediate  return 
to  Scotland ;  that  she  should  detain  her  Protestant 
brother  in  France,  who  had  been  dispatched  by  the 
revolutionary  Parliament,  until  after  her  return  to  her 
realm  ;  and  to  sail  to  Aberdeen,  when  a  force  of  two 
thousand  men  would  escort  her  to  her  throne.  Mary 
wisely  rejected  the  propositions  of  an  unreliable  fac* 
tion,  and  sought  for  measures  of  more  general  and 
popular  character.    She  had  sent  four  commissionei's 

5 


66 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


to  convey  expressions  of  affection  to  her  people,  and 
promises  of  conciliation  upon  her  speedy  return. 
Parliament  responded  by  dispatching  Lord  James, 
whose  rank  and  growing  influence  with  the  reform- 
ers, and  strength  of  character,  fitted  him  for  the  deli- 
cate mission.  lie  met  Mary  the  day  after  the  inter- 
view with  Lesley.  By  all  his  pleas  in  behalf  of  the 
congregation,  and  the  treaty  of  Edinburgh,  she  was 
unshaken  in  her  determination  to  maintain  the  Cath- 
olic faith,  and  dissolve  the  union  between  her  king- 
dom and  England.  She  attempted,  by  the  offer  of  a 
cardinal's  hat,  and  other  royal  gifts,  to  win  Lord 
James  to  her  views.  But,  steadfast  in  his  convictions, 
he  secured  by  his  decision,  however  distasteful  in  it- 
self to  the  Queen,  her  greater  confidence  —  a  result 
always  certain  in  the  trial  of  j^'incijple.  Mary  con- 
tinued her  journey  to  I^Tancy,  into  which  she  made  a 
public  entry.  Here  her  noble  relatives  honored  their 
guest  with  a  succession  of  splendid  entertainments, 
and  the  excitements  of  the  chase,  and  all  the  dazzling 
variety  of  invented  pleasures.  Wearied  with  this 
gaj^ety,  and  frail  in  health,  she  hastened  to  the  fine 
climate  and  solemn  entertainments  of  J oinville.  She 
found  the  venerable  duchess  veiled  in  crape,  the  pre- 
siding spectre  of  her  sepulchral  mansion.  The  spring 
had  vanished,  and  glorious  June  had  tinged  with  re- 
viving breath  her  pallid  cheeks.  Her  dark  tresses 
fell  to  her  m.nirning  apparel,  which  was  snowy  white, 
in  graceful  lines  ;  her  beaming  eyes  were  full  of  soul 
and  gentleness  ;  and  her  subdued  tones  had  an  indis- 
cribable  eloquence,  that  charmed  to  silent  admiration 


MAEY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


6T 


those  who  came  in  her  presence.  She  was  admired 
by  prince  and  peasant,  and  the  throngs  gazed  at  her 
when  she  appeared  in  public,  as  if  a  celestial  visitant 
were  passing.  This  strange  beauty  and  Mary's  ro- 
mantic exj^erience  already  cast  into  eclipse  her  faults 
of  cliaracter. 

From  Joinville  she  revisited  Rheims,  and  after  a 
brief  stay  proceeded  to  Paris.  Her  entry  into  the 
capital  was  not  attended  with  a  tumultuous  throng, 
but  with  peculiar  appropriateness.  She  was  escorted 
by  the  j)rinces  of  the  royal  line,  and  a  company  of 
cavaliers,  who  appeared  like  a  select  train  of  devotees 
around  their  serene  and  unrivaled  goddess.  While 
in  the  brilliant  centre  of  Parisian  pleasures,  Protest- 
ant influences  not  unfrequently  reached  her.  During 
an  interview  with  Throckmorton,  she  freely  declared 
her  unyielding  adherence  to  Kome  : 

"  To  be  plain  with  you,  the  religion  which  I  pro- 
fess I  take  to  be  the  most  acceptable  to  God  ;  and, 
indeed,  neither  do  I  know,  or  desire  to  know,  any 
other.  Constancy  becometh  all  people  well,  and  none 
better  than  princes,  and  such  as  have  rule  over  realms, 
and  especially  in  matters  of  religion.  I  have  been 
brought  up  in  this  religion,  and  who  might  credit  me 
in  anything,  if  I  should  show  myself  light  in  this 
cause  ?  And  though  I  be  young,  and  not  well  learned, 
yet  have  I  heard  this  matter  oft  disputed  by  mine  un- 
cle, my  lord  cardinal,  and  I  found  therein  no  great 
reason  to  change  my  oj^inion. 

"  I  am  none  of  those  that  will  change  my  religion 


68 


M  A  K  Y    QUEEN    O  SCOTS. 


every  year ;  and,  as  1  told  you  in  tlie  beginning,  I 
mean  to  constrain  none  of  my  subjects,  but  would 
wish  tliat  tliey  were  all  as  I  am ;  and,  I  trust,  they 
should  have  no  support  to  constrain  me." 

Tlie  struggle  in  Mary's  heart  between  ambition, 
stimulated  by  the  Guises,  and  attachment  to  the  ge- 
nial air.  and  early  friends  of  France,  was  intense  ;  but 
it  turned  in  favor  of  a  perilous  voyage  and  a  more 
perilous  throne.  She  prepared  "  to  go  and  reign  in 
her  wild  country."  D'Oysel  was  commissioned  to  be 
her  herald,  and  requested  from  Elizabeth  a  safe  con- 
duct through  her  kingdom.  The  stern  sovereign  of  the 
world's  most  mighty  realm  in  the  great  elements  of 
power,  promptly  refused  the  permission  until  Mary 
had  signed  the  treaty  of  Edinburgh.  This  repulse 
touched  keenly  the  sensibility  of  the  Queen  of  Scots. 
She  thus  gave  expression  to  her  emotions  in  a  private 
conference  with  the  English  ambassador : 

"  There  is  nothing  that  doth  more  grieve  me  than 
that  I  did  sc  forget  myself,  as  to  require  of  the  Queen, 
your  mistresa,  that  favor  wliich  I  had  no  need  to  ask. 
I  needed  no  more  to  have  made  her  privy  to  mv 
journey,  than  she  doth  me  of  hers.  I  may  pass  well 
enough  into  mine  own  realm,  I  think,  without  her 
passport  or  license  ;  for,  though  the  late  king,  your 
master,  used  all  the  impeachment  he  could,  both  to 
stay  me,  and  catch  me,  when  I  came  hither,  yet  know. 
Monsieur  I'Ambassadeur,  I  came  hither  safely  :  ana  I 
may  liave  as  good  means  to  help  me  home  again,  as  1 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


69 


had  to  come  liitlier,  if  I  Avould  employ  my  friends."^ 
Truly,  I  was  far  from  ev^il-ineaning  to  the  Queen, 
your  mistress,  at  tliis  time  to  employ  her  amity  to 
stand  me  in  stead  than  all  the  friends  I  liave  ;  and 
yet,  you  know,  both  in  this  realm  and  elsewhere,  I 
have  both  friends  and  allies,  and  such  as  would  be 
glad  and  willing  to  employ  both  their  forces  and  aid. 
You  have  often  told  me,  that  the  amity  between  the 
Queen,  your  mistress,  and  me,  were  very  necessary 
and  profitable  to  us  both.  I  have  some  reason,  now, 
to  think  that  the  Queen,  your  mistress,  is  not  of  that 
mind  ;  for,  I  am  sure,  if  she  ^vere,  she  would  not  have 
received  me  thus  unkindly.  It  seems  she  makes  more 
account  of  the  amity  of  my  disobedient  subjects,  than 
of  me  their  sovereign,  who  am  her  equal  in  degree, 
though  inferior  in  wisdom  and  experience,  her  nearest 
kinswoman,  and  her  next  neighbor.  The  Queen,  your 
mistress,  doth  say  that  I  am  young,  and  do  lack  expe- 
rience. But  I  have  age  enough  and  experience  to 
behave  myself  towards  my  friends  and  kinsfolks 
friendly  and  uprightly,  and  I  trust  my  discretion  shall 
not  so  fail  me  that  my  passion  shall  move  me  to  use 
other  language  of  her  than  is  due  to  a  queen  and  my 
next  kinswoman." 

Tlie  next  day,  July  21st,  she  addressed  Throckmor- 
ton, in  the  following  very  beautiful  words,  which  re- 
veal her  sad  forebodings  of  evil : 

"  I  trust  the  wind  will  be  so  favorable  as  I  shall  not 
need  to  come  on  the  coast  cf  England,  and  if  I  do, 

♦Cabala. 


70 


MARY  (^UEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


then,  Monsieur  TAmbassadeur,  the  Queen,  your  mis- 
tress, shall  have  me  in  her  hands  to  do  her  will  of 
me ;  and  if  she  be  so  hard-hearted  as  to  desire  my 
end,  she  may  then  do  her  pleasure  and  make  sacrifice 
of  me.  Peradventure  that  casualty  might  be  better 
for  me  than  to  live ;  in  this  matter  God's  will  be  ful- 
filled." 

Catherine's  proud  spirit  was  softened  by  the  ap- 
proaching separation,  and  she  accompanied  Mary  to  St. 
Germain,  where,  thirteen  years  before,  she  first  saw 
and  embraced  the  laughing  girl,  who  now  left  her  a 
widow,  mature  in  character,  and  drinking  deeply  of 
sorrow's  cup.  From  St.  Germain,  the  princes  of  Lor- 
raine, w4th  a  retinue  of  the  nobility,  made  the  journey 
to  Calais,  a  triumphal  procession  in  appearance,  w^hile 
many  hearts  were  painfully  throbbing ;  and  none  more 
wildly  beating  than  that  of  the  sad  and  silent  Mary. 
After  six  days'  delay,  she  saw  the  two  galleys  and 
two  vessels  of  burden,  riding  at  anchor,  ready  for  the 
royal  train.  Amid  a  throng  of  excited  spectatoi*s,  the 
youthful  Queen  folded  her  graceful  arms  around  cher- 
ished forms,  and  shed  tears  like  rain,  in  that  mourn- 
ful adieu.  The  four  Marys  were  with  her.  From 
infancy  she  had  cherished  the  strange,  superstitious 
fancies  of  the  age.  Writes  one*  of  the  departing  at- 
tendants :  "  Habitually  superstitious,  in  embarking 
for  the  royal  galley,  Mary  was  appalled  by  the  mourn- 
ful spectacle  of  a  vessel  striking  against  the  pier,  and 
sinking  to  rise  no  more ;  overwhelmed  with  the  sight, 

*  Bran  tome. 


MART  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


n 


the  unhappy  queen  exclaimed,  '  0  God !  what  fatal 
omen  is  this  for  a  voyage !'  then  rushing  towards  the 
stern,  she  knelt  down,  and,  covering  her  face,  sobbed 
aloud,  '  Farewell !  France,  farewell !  I  shall  never, 

never  see  thee  more  !'  

"  The  galley  having  left  port,  and  a  slight  breeze 
having  sprung  up,  we  began  to  set  sail.  .  .  .  She, 
with  both  arms  resting  on  the  poop  of  the  galley  near 
the  helm,  began  to  shed  floods  of  tears,  continually 
f  casting  her  beautiful  eyes  towards  the  port  and  the 
country  she  had  left,  and  uttering  these  mournful 
words :  Farewell,  France !  until  night  began  to  fall. 
She  desired  to  go  to  bed  without  taking  any  food,  and 
would  not  go  down  into  her  cabin,  so  her  bed  was 
prepared  on  the  deck.  She  commanded  the  steers- 
man, as  soon  as  it  was  day,  if  he  could  still  discern 
the  coast  of  France,  to  wake  her  and  not  fear  to  call 
her  ;  in  which  fortune  favored  her  ;  for,  the  wind  hav- 
ing ceased,  and  recourse  being  had  to  the  oars,  very 
little  progress  was  had  during  the  night ;  so  that  when 
day  appeared,  the  coast  of  France  was  still  visible, 
and  the  steersman  not  having  failed  to  perform  the 
commands  which  she  had  given  to  him,  she  sat  up  in 
her  bed,  and  began  again  to  look  at  France  as  long  as 
she  could,  and  then  she  redoubled  her  lamentations : 
Farewell,  France !  Farewell,  France !  I  think  I 
shall  never  see  thee  more !" 

Such  was  the  anguish  of  the  mourning  exile,  in 
whom,  on  this  touching  occasion,  the  woman  eclipsed 
the  queen,  and  won  admiration  which  was  never  ren- 


72 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


dered  to  the  severer  virtues  of  Elizabeth.  Mary  was 
gifted  with  poetical  genius,  and  commemorated  this 
rending  of  ties  and  beginning  of  sorrows,  in  a  beauti- 
ful poem.* 

*  Adieu. 

Adieu,  plaisant  pays  de  France  I 

0  ma  patrie, 

La  plus  cherie; 
Qui  a  nourri  ma  jeune  enfance. 
Adieu,  France  1  adieu,  mes  beaux  joursl 
La  nef  qui  dejoint  mes  amours, 
ITa  cy  de  moi  que  la  moitie 
Une  parte  te  reste ;  elle  est  tienne ; 
Je  la  fie  a  ton  amitie, 
Pour  que  de  I'autre  il  te  souvienne. 

"  Adieu. 

**  Farewell  to  thee,  thou  pleasant  shore, 
The  loved,  the  cherished  home  to  me 
Of  infant  joy,  a  dream  that's  o'er, 
Farewell,  dear  France  1  farewell  to  thee! 

•*The  sail  that  wafts  me  bears  away 

From  thee  but  half  my  soul  alone; 
Its  fellow  half  will  fondly  stay, 

And  back  to  thee  has  faithful  flown. 

"I  trust  it  to  th}'  gentle  care  ; 

For  all  that  here  remains  with  me 
Lives  but  to  think  of  all  that's  there, 
To  love  and  to  remember  thee.** 


CHAPTER  III. 


THB  VOTAGE  MART  ARRIVES   AT   LEITH — POPULAR  RMOICIXGS  JOHN 

KNOX  —  Mary's  religious  concessions — her  public  entry  into  Edin- 
burgh INTERVIEW  WITH    KNOX  THE   COMPROMISE  LORD  JAMES 

STUART  LIFE  AT  HOLYROOD  CONSPIRACIES  AND  REVOLT  MARY  HEADS 

AN  ARMY  ANOTHER    INTERVIEW  WITH  KNOX  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH 

ELIZABETH  PROPOSED  MEETING  OF  THE  SOVEREIGNS  TRAITS  OF  CHAR- 
ACTER SCENES  IN  THE  PALACE  LOVERS  LORD  DUDLEY^  AND  DARNLEY 

 NEGOTIATIONS  JAMES  MELVIl's  MISSION  RANDOLPH'S  VISIT  TO  ST. 

ANDREWS  THE  RESULT  MURRAY's    CONSPIRACY  AND    REVOLT  THE 

WEDDING. 

"When  the  morning  dawned  upon  the  royal  galley, 
and  the  banks  of  oars  dripped  with  the  flashing  wa- 
ters, Mary's  tears  flowed  afresh  at  the  sight  of  a  shad- 
owy outline  of  the  land  she  had  left  forever.  She 
gazed  fondly  at  the  fading  horizon,  while  the  breeze 
lifted  her  dark  tresses,  and  filled  the  drooping  sails. 
The  rowers  ceased  their  measured  strokes,  the  vessel's 
prow  cut  the  foam,  and  in  an  hour,  all  that  remained 
of  France  to  Mary,  was  a  mournfully  pleasant  dream, 
and  the  companions  of  her  voyage.  The  galley  swept 
past  a  dangerous  shoal,  and  she  remarked  upon  the 
peril  to  which  it  had  been  exposed,  "  that  for  the  sake 
of  her  friends,  and  for  the  common  weal,  she  ought 
to  rejoice ;  but  that  for  herself,  she  should  have  es- 
teemed it  a  privilege  so  to  have  ended  her  course." 


74  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


She  liad  anticipated  the  appearance  of  English 
cruisers,  despatched  by  Elizabeth  to  intercept  her 
course  ;  but  nothing  occurred  to  prevent  a  prosperous 
transit  to  the  shores  of  her  unquiet  kingdom.  On  the 
19th  of  August,  1561,  the  fleet  emerging  from  a  heavy 
fog  which  had  fallen  the  preceding  evening,  sooner 
than  was  expected  by  the  Queen's  subjects,  sailed  into 
the  harbor  of  Leith. 

The  tidings  flew,  and  the  people  flocked  to  behold 
and  welcome  their  Queen,  whose  charms  made  a  fa- 
voi'able  impression  upon  those  who  dreaded  her  reli- 
gious influence  upon  the  realm.  The  nobility  has- 
tened to  escort  her  to  Edinburgli,  and  the  ancient 
palace  of  Holy  rood.  A  palfrey  was  provided  for  her, 
and  her  train  rode  upon  higldand  ponies,  "  such  as 
they  were,  and  harnessed  to  match."  Mary  felt  keen- 
ly the  contrast  between  the  pomp  and  magnificence 
of  the  French  court,  and  her  humble  entrance  into  the 
ruder  dominions  of  her  inheritance.  Tears  again 
dimmed  lier  vision  ;  and  she  saw  in  the  plain  man- 
ners, and  music  of  sacred  psalmody,  characteristic  of 
the  reformers,  a  source  of  perpetual  pain  to  her  natu- 
ral and  religious  sensibilities.  The  surface-dressing 
in  social  life  and  divine  woi*ship,  which  had  polished 
the  daughter  of  Stuart,  unfitted  her  for  the  stern  ele- 
ments on  which  she  must  thenceforth  lay  her  gentle 
hand. 

John  Knox,  in  a  graphic  description  of  Mary's  re- 
ception, discloses  his  own  strong  emotions  and  fearful 
apprehensions,  in  view  of  the  reign  of  a  Catholic  sove- 
reign. 


MAliT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


75 


"  Tlie  very  face  of  tlie  heavens  at  the  time  of  her 
arrival  did  manifestly  speak  what  comfort  was  brought 
into  this  countrj^  with  her :  to  wit,  sorrow,  dolour, 
darkness,  and  all  impiety ;  for  in  the  memory  of  man 
that  day  of  the  year  w^as  never  seen  a  more  dolorous 
face  of  the  heavens,  than  was  at  her  arrival,  which 
two  days  after  did  so  continue  ;  for,  besides  the  sur- 
face wet,  and  the  corru]3tion  of  the  air,  the  mist  was 
so  thick  and  dark  that  scarce  could  any  man  espy  an- 
other the  length  of  two  pair  of  butts.  The  sun  was 
not  seen  to  shine  two  days  before  nor  two  days  after. 
That  fore-warning,  gave  God  to  us  —  but  alas!  the 
most  part  were  blind. 

"  At  the  sound  of  the  cannon  which  the  galleys 
shot,  happy  was  he  or  she  that  first  must  have  pres- 
ence of  the  Queen.  Tlie  Protestants  were  not  the 
slowest,  and  therein  they  were  not  to  be  blamed. 
Because  the  palace  of  Holyrood-House  was  not  thor- 
oughly put  in  order,  for  her  coming  was  more  sudden 
than  many  looked  for,  she  remained  in  Leitli  till  to- 
wards the  evening,  and  then  repaired  thither.  In  the 
way  betwixt  Leith  and  the  abbey,  met  her  the  rebels 
and  crafts  of  men  of  whom  we  spoke  of  before,  to 
wit,  those  that  had  violated  the  acts  of  the  magis- 
trates, and  had  besieged  the  provost.  But  because 
she  was  sufficiently  instructed  that  all  they  did  was 
done  in  spite  of  their  religion,  they  were  easily  par- 
doned. Fires  of  joy  were  set  forth  at  night,  and  a 
company  of  most  honest  men,  with  instruments  of 
music,  and  with  musicians,  gave  their  salutations  at 
her  chamber  window;  the  melody,  as  she  alleged, 


76 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


liked  her  well,  and  she  willed  the  same  to  be  contin- 
ued some  nights  after  with  great  diligence.  Tlie  lords 
repaired  to  her  from  all  quarters,  and  so  was  nothing 
understood  but  mirth  and  quietness,  till  the  next  Sun- 
day, which  was  the  24th  of  August,  when  that  prepa- 
ration began  to  be  made  for  that  idol,  the  mass,  to  be 
said  in  the  chapel ;  which  perceived,  the  most  of  all 
the  godly  began  to  speak  openly  :  '  Shall  that  idol  be 
suffered  again  to  take  place  beneath  this  realm  ?  It 
shall  not.'  The  Lord  Lindsay  (then  but  master)  with 
the  gentlemen  of  Fife,  and  others,  plainly  cried  in  the 
close  or  yard,  '  The  idolatrous  priests  shall  die  the 
death,  according  to  God's  law.'  One  that  carried  in 
the  candle  was  evil  afraid.  But  then  began  flesh  and 
blood  to  show  itself.  There  durst  no  Papist,  neitlier 
yet  any  that  came  out  of  France,  whisper,  but  the 
Lord  James,  the  man  whom  all  the  godly  did  most 
reverence,  took  upon  him  to  keep  the  chapel  door. 
His  best  excuse  was,  that  he  would  stop  all  Scottish 
men  to  enter  into  the  mass.  But  it  was  and  is  suffi- 
ciently known,  that  the  door  was  kept,  that  none 
should  have  entry  to  trouble  the  priest,  who,  after  the 
mass  was  ended,  was  committed  to  the  protection  of 
the  Lord  John  of  Coldingham  and  Lord  Robert  of 

•  ,  who  then  were  both  Protestants,  and  had 

communicated  at  the  table  of  the  Lord ;  betwixt  them 
both  the  priest  was  conveyed  to  the  chamber.  .  .  . 
And  so  the  godly  departed  with  grief  of  heart,  and 
in  the  afternoon  repaired  to  the  abbey  in  great  com- 
panies, and  gave  plain  signification  that  they  could 
not  abide  that  the  land  which  God  by  his  power  had 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


77 


purged  from  idolatry,  should  iu  their  eyes  be  polluted 
again,  and  so  began  complaint  upon  complaint.  Tlie 
old  duntebors  and  others,  that  had  long  served  in  the 
court,  hoped  to  have  no  remission  of  sins  but  by  vir- 
tue of  the  mass,  cried,  they  would  away  to  Franco 
without  delay  — ■  they  could  not  live  without  the  mass  ; 
the  same  affirmed  the  Queen's  uncle ;  and  would  to 
God,  that  altogether,  with  the  mass,  they  had  taken 
good  night  of  the  realm  forever." 

Knox,  whose  "  single  voice  could  jput  more  life  into  a 
host  than  six  hundred  hlustering  trumpets^  "  was  a  ter- 
ror to  many.  In  the  sublime  persuasion  that  he  was 
commissioned  by  God  to  lead  the  "  sacramental  host " 
against  the  corrupt  hierarchy  of  Rome,  he  was  unap- 
proachable by  bribery,  unmoved  by  penalties,  and 
only  annealed  for  combat  in  the  furnace  of  trial. 
The  blajidishments  of  wealth,  the  sufferings  of  penury, 
and  the  scoffs  of  the  great,  were  equally  unfelt  by 
him,  who  had  made,  as  an  oblation  to  the  Lord,  the 
entire  consecration  of  his  powers  to  the  one  object  of 
life  —  the  extermination  of  Popery  in  his  beloved 
Scotland.  Gifted  with  a  high  order  of  intellect,  and 
courageous,  he  was  animated  by  ardent  enthusiasm, 
controlled  by  inflexibility  of  purpose,  and  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart.  He  swayed  men  by 
his  lofty  determination,  fearless  denunciations,  and 
evident  sincerity.  The  faults  of  such  men  as  Luther, 
.Knox,  and  Cromwell,  were  those  of  champions  in  a 
mighty  conflict,  who  had  not  time  to  polish  their  weap- 
ons, or  always  regard  the  amenities  and  rules  of  more 
peaceful  life. 


"78 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


"  It  was  as  an  apostle,  or  rather  as  a  prophet,  that 
Knox  challenged  homage.  In  his  own  conceptions 
he  was  alternately  the  Elijah  rebuking  Ahah  —  the 
Jeremiah  denouncing  Israel  —  the  John  the  Baptist, 
who  could  overawe  even  the  presumptuous  Herod. 
"Woe  to  the  man  who  incurred  his  wrath,  or  fell  under 
his  chastisement !  Unhappy  they  who  became  the  ob- 
ject of  his  antipathy  or  suspicion  !  In  this  predicament 
was  Mary  Stuart !  Whatever  prejudice  he  had  ori- 
ginally conceived  against  a  daughter  of  Guise,  was  con- 
firmed and  justified  by  the  administration  of  her  un- 
cles. Educated  under  their  auspices,  imbued  with  their 
principles,  he  regarded  her  as  infected  with  their  cru- 
elty and  perfidy  —  as  a  Papist,  incapable  of  any  moral 
virtue  —  as  an  idolater,  worse  than  an  infidel.  If  she 
would  subdue  his  prejudice,  she  must  disclaim  her 
superstitions,  renounce  the  mass,  forsake  the  idol  —  on 
no  other  condition  could  he  be  persuaded  that  she  was 
entitled  to  esteem  and  confidence.  " 

lie  regarded  the  mass  the  coronation  of  the  "  man 
of  sin  "  upon  Puritan  soil ;  and  he  therefore  said,  that 
"  one  mass  was  more  fearful  to  him  than  if  ten  thou- 
sand armed  enemies  were  landed  in  every  part  of  the 
realm."  And  soon  after  the  first  Sabbath  of  the  royal 
retinue  in  Holyrood,  he  thus  unbosomed  his  heart  in 
a  letter  to  Calvin  at  Geneva : 

"  The  arrival  of  the  Queen  has  disturbed  the  tran- 
quillity of  our  aifairs.  She  had  scarcely  been  back 
three  d^ys,  before  the  idol  of  the  mass  was  again 
8et  up.    Some  prudent  men  of  great  authority  endeav- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


70 


ored  to  prevent  it,  saying  tliat  tlieir  purilied  con- 
science could  not  suffer  that  that  land  should  again 
be  contaminated,  which  the  Lord,  by  the  efficacy  of 
his  word,  had  purged  from  idolatry.  But  as  the  ma- 
jor part  of  those  who  adhere  to  our  faith  thought  dif- 
ferently, impiety  gained  the  victory,  and  is  now  acqui- 
ring fresh  strength.  Those  who  favored  it  give  as  a 
reason  for  their  indulgence,  that  all  the  ministers  of 
the  Lord  are  of  opinion,  and  that  you  yourself  declare, 
that  it  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  prevent  the  Queen  from 
practising  her  religion.  Although  I  contradict  this 
rumor,  which  appears  to  me  very  false,  it  has  taken 
such  deep  root  in  men's  hearts,  that  it  will  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  dislodge  it,  unless  I  learn  from  you 
whether  the  question  has  been  actually  submitted  to 
your  Church,  and  what  was  the  answer  of  the  breth- 
ren. I  am  always  troubling  you  with  such  inquiries, 
but  I  have  no  one  else  into  whose  bosom  I  can  pour 
my  cares.  I  confess  candidly,  my  father,  that  I  have 
never  until  now  felt  how  painful  and  difficult  it  is  to 
combat  hypocrisy  when  concealed  under  the  mask  of 
piety.  I  have  never  feared  open  enemies  so  greatly, 
but  that,  in  the  midst  of  my  tribulations,  I  have  hoped 
to  gain  the  victory." 

It  was  no  pleasant  pastime  to  confront  such  a  leader 
of  the  Protestant  party  —  a  party  too  powerful  to 
crush,  and  invincible  to  the  flatteries  or  imposing 
forms  of  papal  worship. 

Yet  Mary  hoped  to  conciliate  her  restive  subjects 
by  her  smiles,  and  a  concession  which  she  thought 


80 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


miglit  reconcile  them  to  lier  private  observance  of  her 
own  religious  forms.  She  issued  a  proclamation,  that 
no  alteration  should  be  made  in  the  established  reli- 
gion, "  and  that  any  act,  whether  public  or  private, 
which  tended  to  change  its  form,  should  be  punished 
with  death."  She  also  exchanged  her  apparel  of  white 
crape,  which  had  won  in  France  the  appellation  of 
"  Keine  Blanche  "  —  White  Queen  —  for  the  mourn- 
ing of  her  people  —  a  sable  dress.  This  attire  en- 
hanced her  beauty,  like  the  dark  back-ground  to  a 
picture  of  celestial  penciling. 

On  the  second  of  September  she  made  her  public 
entry  into  Edinburgh.  Her  train  issued  from  the 
castle  in  the  afternoon,  and  moved  towards  "  Scotia's 
ancient  seat,"  under  a  canopy  of  violet  velvet,  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  nobility.  She  w^as  greeted  with  the 
pageant  of  a  child,  six  years  of  age,  issuing  from  a 
cloud,  as  if  descending  from  Heaven,  who,  after 
repeating  a  poem,  presented  her  with  the  keys  of 
Edinburgh,  a  Bible,  and  Book  of  Psalms. 

Contrasted  with  these  signals  of  loyalty,  were  warn- 
ings in  various  symbols  along  her  way.  The  fate  of 
Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  were  set  forth,  with 
other  significant  exhibitions  of  indignation  against 
the  rites  of  idolatrous  Bome.  After  these  scenes  had 
transpired,  Mary  desired  to  have  an  interview  w^ith 
Knox,  whose  presence  she  w^as  willing  to  endure  for 
the  sake  of  her  kingdom.  The  following  is  the  ac- 
count given  by  the  reformer  himself,  of  his  visit  to 
the  Queen,  whom  he  found  alone  with  her  brother, 
Lord  James,  and  who  at  the  outset  reproached  him 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 


81 


for  his  work  against  Female  Sovereigns.  To  this  he 
replied : 

"  Learned  men,  in  all  ages,  have  had  their  judg- 
ments free,  and  most  commonly  disagreeing  from  the 
common  judgment  of  the  Avorld ;  such  also  have  they 
published  both  with  pen  and  tongue,  notwithstanding 
they  themselves  have  lived  in  the  common  society  with 
others,  and  have  borne  patiently  with  the  errors  and 
imperfections  which  they  could  not  amend.  Plato,  the 
philosopher,  wrote  his  book  of  the  Commonwealth, 
in  the  which  he  condemns  many  things  that  were 
maintained  in  the  world,  and  required  many  things 
to  have  been  reformed  ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding,  he 
lived  under  such  politics  as  then  were  universally 
received,  without  further  troubling  any  state ;  even 
so,  madam,  am  I  content  to  do,  in  uprightness  of  heart, 
and  with  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  I  have 
communicated  my  judgment  to  the  world.  If  the 
realm  find  no  inconvenience  in  the  regimen  of  a  wo- 
man, that  which  they  approve  shall  I  not  farther  dis- 
allow them  within  my  o^vn  breast,  but  shall  be  as  well 
content,  and  shall  live  under  your  majesty,  as  Paul 
was  to  live  under  the  Roman  Emperor  ;  and  my  hope 
is,  that  so  long  as  you  defile  not  your  hands  with  the 
blood  of  the  saints  of  God,  that  neither  I  nor  that 
book  shall  either  hurt  you  or  your  authority ;  for  in 
very  deed,  madam,  that  book  was  written  most  espe- 
cially against  wicked  Mary  of  England." 

"  But  you  speak  of  women  in  general  ?" 

"  Most  true  it  is,  madam  ;  and  yet  plainly  appear- 
eth  to  me  that  wisdom  should  persuade  your  majesty 

D*  6 


82 


:maiiy  queen  of  scots. 


never  to  raise  trouble  for  tluit  wliicli  this  day  hatli  not 
troubled  your  majesty,  neither  in  person  nor  in  anxi- 
ety. For  of  late  years,  many  things  which  before 
were  holden  stable,  have  been  called  in  doubt ;  yea, 
they  have  been  plainly  impugned :  but  yet,  madam, 
I  am  assured  that  neither  Protestant  nor  Papist  shall 
be  able  to  prove  that  any  such  question  was  at  any 
time  moved  in  public  or  in  private.  Even,  madam, 
if  I  had  intended  to  trouble  your  estate,  because  you 
are  a  woman,  I  might  have  chosen  a  time  more  con- 
venient for  that  purpose  than  I  could  do  now,  when 
your  own  presence  is  within  the  realm." 

Knox  repelled  the  charges  of  sedition  and  necro- 
mancy, which  seemed  to  satisfy  the  Queen,  who  yet 
complained  of  the  seditious  influence  of  his  reasoning. 

"  You  have  brought  the  people  to  receive  another 
religion  than  their  princes  can  allow  —  and  how  can 
that  doctrine  be  of  God,  seeing  that  God  command- 
eth  subjects  to  obey  their  prince?" 

"Madam,  as  right  religion  took  neither  original  nor 
integrity  from  worldly  princes,  but  from  the  eternal 
God  alone,  so  are  not  subjects  bound  to  frame  their 
religion  according  to  the  appetite  of  their  princes.  If 
all  the  seed  of  Abraham  should  have  been  of  the  reli- 
gion of  Pharaoh,  what  religion  should  there  have  been 
in  the  world?  Or  if  all  men  in  the  days  of  the 
Roman  Emperors  should  have  been  of  the  religion  of 
the  Poman  Emperors,  what  religion  should  have  been 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  Daniel  and  his  fellows 
were  subject  to  ^Nebuchadnezzar  and  unto  Darius,  and 
yet  they  would  not  be  of  their  religion." 


MARY     QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  8S 

Mar  J,  in  reply,  urged  that  none  of  the  worthies 
mentioned  took  arms  against  the  king.  Knox  con- 
tinned  : 

"  Yet,  madam,  ye  cannot  deny  but  that  they  resisted  ; 
for  those  that  obey  not  the  commandments  given,  in 
some  sort  resist." 

"  But  yet,"  reiterated  the  Queen,  "  they  resisted 
not  by  the  sword." 

"  God,  madam,  had  not  given  them  the  power  and 
the  means." 

^' Think  you  that  subjects,  having  the  power,  may 
resist  their  princes  ?  " 

"If  princes  do  exceed  their  bounds,  madam,  or 
do  against  that  wherefore  they  should  be  obeyed, 
there  is  no  doubt  they  may  be  resisted,  even  by  pow- 
er ;  for  there  is  neither  greater  honor  nor  greater  obe- 
dience to  be  given  to  kings  and  princes  than  to  father 
or  mother;  but  so  it  is,  that  the  father  may  be  strick- 
en with  a  phrenzy,  in  the  which  he  will  slay  his  own 
children ;  now,  madam,  if  the  children  arise,  appre- 
hend the  father,  take  the  sword  or  other  weapon  from 
him,  and  finally  bind  his  hands,  and  keep  him  in  pris- 
on till  his  phrenzy  be  overpast,  think  ye,  madam, 
that  the  children  do  any  wTong  ?  " 

The  mention  of  a  prison  awakened  Mary's  fears 
with  so  visible  effect,  that  afterwards  it  w^as  related 
as  evidence  of  supernatural  inspiration  in  this  stern 
rej^rover  of  monarchs. 

When  Knox  alluded  to  the  protection  sovereigns 
might  give  to  the  church  of  Christ,  she  replied  in  an- 
^er  —  "Yes,  this  is  indeed  true,  but  yours  is  not  the 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


church  that  I  will  nourish.  I  will  defend  the  church 
of  Eome,  for  I  think  it  the  true  church  of  God."  He 
replied  indignantly,  that  her  will  was  not  reason,  and 
her  opinion  could  not  change  that  harlot  into  the  im- 
maculate spouse  of  Christ.  He  farther  offered  to 
prove  that  the  Catholic  church  was  more  degenerate 
and  corrupt  than  the  Jewish  nation,  wdien  they  cru- 
cified Christ.  But  Mary  closed  the  exciting  debate, 
and  bade  him  farewell.  He  left  her  presence,  pray- 
ing God  "  she  mio-ht  be  as  blessed  in  the  common- 
wealth  of  Scotland,  as  ever  Deborah  was  in  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel." 

The  zeal  of  the  unyielding  Puritan  displeased  the 
more  politic  leaders  of  the  Protestant  party.  In 
a  letter  to  Cecil,  Lethington  wrote : 

"  You  know  the  vehemency  of  Mr.  Knox's  spirit, 
which  cannot  be  bridled,  and  yet  doth  sometimes  utter 
such  sentences  as  cannot  easily  be  digested  by  a  weak 
stomach.  I  could  wish  he  would  deal  with  her  more 
gently,  being  a  young  princess  unpersuaded.  For 
this  I  am  accounted  too  politic,  but  surely  in  her 
comporting  with  him  she  doth  declare  a  wisdom  far 
exceeding  her  age.  God  grant  her  the  assistance  of 
his  Spirit !" 

The  compromise  with  Protestantism  which  pre- 
vailed, secured  to  the  Queen  the  enjoyment  of  her 
own  faith,  conferred  authority  upon  a  mixed  council, 
and  retaining  two-thirds  of  the  revenues  for  the 
Catholics  and  nobility,  devoted  one-third  to  the  use 


MAET    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


85 


of  the  new  cliurcli.  But  other  troubles  remained 
untouched.  There  were  the  revolted  and  factious 
nobles  to  subdue ;  the  probable  collision  with  Eliza- 
beth ;  and,  finally,  the  question  of  her  marrige, — for 
to  accept  a  foreign  prince  would  endanger  her  crown, 
and  to  marry  a  subject  would  sow  additional  discords 
in  her  kingdom. 

Lord  James  Stuart  was  a  master  spirit  among  her 
admirers,  and  acted  wisely,  though  a  decided  Protes- 
tant. The  Queen  made  him  Earl  of  Mar  upon  his 
marriage  with  the  daughter  of  the  Earl  Marshal,  and 
invested  him  with  power  to  subdue  the  rebels  on  the 
frontier.  He  entered  upon  the  difiicult  command, 
and  with  the  heroic  energy  of  his  decided  character, 
soon  finished  the  work.  His  elevation  increased  the 
discontent  of  a  jealous  aristocracy ;  and  in  a  fit  of 
insanity,  the  Earl  of  Arran  revealed  a  plot,  which  was 
disclosed  to  him  by  Earl  of  Both  well  and  the  Abbot 
of  Kilwinning,  for  invading  the  palace,  making  Mary 
a  prisoner,  and  killing  Lord  James,  to  secure  the 
reins  of  government.  The  conspiracy  was  of  course 
crushed,  and  its  authors  were  arrested. 

Mary,  meanwhile,  had  given  to  the  sombre  apart- 
ments of  Holyrood,  the  luxury  and  much  of  the  ele- 
gance of  a  French  court.  She  embellished  the  w^alls 
with  tapestry,  adorned  her  person  with  jewels,  and 
found  ^Lttiusement  in  directing,  by  her  taste,  the  im- 
provements in  landscape  gardening.  Of  the  four 
Marys  who  had  been  her  companions  from  girlhood, 
the  amiable  Flemming  married  Maitland,  Mary  Liv- 
ingston, William,  eldest  son  of  Lord  Temple,  and 


86 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Maiy  Beaton,  tliougli  once  engaged,  and  Marj  Sea- 
ton,  remained  iinniarried.  The  following  passages  from 
Sir  Thomas  liandolph,  the  English  Ambassador,  afford 
interesting  glimpses  of  life  at  Tlolyrood.  Tlie  Queen, 
after  a  sitting  of  her  council,  was  walking  with  him 
in  the  garden,  when  she  inquired, —  "  How  like  yon 
this  country  —  you  have  been  in  it  a  good  space,  and 
know  it  well  enough  ?"  "  My  answer  w^as,  that  the 
country  was  good,  and  the  polity  might  be  made  much 
better."  "  The  absence  of  a  prince  hath  caused  it  to 
be  worse  —  but  yet,  is  it  not  like  unto  England  ?"  I 
answered,  "  That  there  were  many  in  the  world,  worse 
than  her  grace's,  that  were  thought  right  good,  but  I 
judged  few  better  than  England ;  which,  I  trusted, 
that  some  time  after,  her  grace  should  witness."  "  I 
would  be  content  therewith  if  my  sister,  your  mis- 
tress, so  liked."  I  said,  "  That  it  was  the  thing  that 
many  of  her  grace's  subjects  did  desire,  and,  as  I 
judged,  would  also  content  my  mistress." 

Randolph  adds  :  "  I  receive  of  her  grace,  at  all 
times,  very  good  words.  I  am  borne  in  hand  by  such 
as  are  nearest  about  her,  as  the  Lord  James  and  the 
Laird  of  Lethington  :  that  they  are  meant  as  they  are 
spoken  of,  I  see  them  above  all  others  in  credit,  and 
find  in  them  no  alteration  ;  though  there  be  that  com- 
plain, they  yield  too  much  to  her  appetite,  w^hich  I 
see  not.  The  Lord  James  dealeth  according  to  his 
nature,  rudely,  homely,  and  bluntly ;  the  Laird  of 
Lethington  more  delicately  and  finely,  yet  nothing 
owcrving  from  the  other  in  mind  and  efiect.  She  is 
patient  to  hear,  and  bearetli  much.    The  Earl  Maris- 


MARY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


87 


clial  is  wary,  but  speaketli  sometimes  to  good  pur- 
pose ;  —  liis  daughter  is  lately  come  to  this  town  :  — ■ 
we  look  shortly  for  what  shall  become  of  the  long 
love  betwixt  the  Lord  James  and  that  lady.  The  Lord 
John  of  Coldingham  hath  not  least  favor,  with  his 
leaping  and  dancing ;  —  he  is  like  to  marry  the  Lord 
Bothwell's  sister.  The  Lord  Robert  consnmeth  with 
love  of  the  Earl  Cassil's  sister  ;  —  the  Earl  Bothwell 
hath  given  unto  him  old  lands  of  his  father,  in  Tevi- 
otdale,  and  the  Abbey  of  Melross.  The  duke's 
grace*  is  come  to  Kinneil,  and  proposes  not  to  come 
near  to  the  court,  exce^^t  that  he  be  sent  for.  I  hear 
of  nothing  that  is  proposed  against  him  ;  it  is  thought 
that  he  may  be  well  enough  spared.  My  Lord  Arran 
proposeth  not  to  be  at  court  so  long  as  the  mass  re- 
maineth :  there  come  few  to  it,  but  herself,  her  uncle 
and  train.  Three  causes,  I  perceive  there  are,  that 
make  my  Lord  of  Arran  to  absent  himself ;  the  one 
is  the  mass ;  the  other,  the  presence  of  his  enemy ; 
the  third,  lack  wherewith  to  maintain  a  court.  By 
the  first,  he  maintains  his  credit  with  the  precise  Pro- 
testants ;  the  other  argues  less  courage  in  him  than 
many  men  thought,  that  his  enemy  is  yet  alive  to  have 
that  place  which  he  is  unworthy  of ;  the  third  mani- 
fests the  beastliness  of  his  father,  that  more  than 
money,  hath  neither  faith  nor  God.  The  lords  now 
begin  to  return  to  the  court,  the  bishops  flock  apace ; 
the  Metropolitan  of  St.  Andrew's  arrived  here  on 
Monday  last,  with  eighty  horses  in  train,  and  to  be 


OhatelheraulL 


88 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


seen  lie  rode  lialf-a-mile  out  of  liis  way  through  the 
High-street  of  Edinburgh  ;  —  we  know  not  yet  what 
mischief  he  and  his  associates  come  for  :  he  had  with 
him  only  two  Hamiltons." 

Though  the  Earl  of  Mar  had  paralyzed  the  strength 
of  the  Hamiltons  in  the  northern  districts  of  Scot- 
land, the  Gordons  were  rebellious  in  the  West.  Earl 
of  Huntly  had  planned  a  conspiracy  against  the  life 
of  Lethington  and  Earl  of  Mar.  His  son,  John  Gor- 
don, had  aspired  to  Mary's  hand.  But  in  consequence 
of  a  duel  with  Lord  Oglivy,  he  was  summoned  to  re- 
pair to  Stirling  Castle.  The  mandate  of  his  Sover- 
eign he  disregarded,  and  appeared  in  open  revolt  at 
the  head  of  a  thousand  horsemen.  His  father.  Earl 
of  Huntly,  having  fortified  the  castles,  took  up  his 
quarters  in  the  mountains,  to  await  the  approach  of 
Mary  Stuart,  who  was  making  a  tour  to  the  northern 
frontier.  She  marched  at  the  head  of  a  small  army, 
commanded  by  Earl  of  Mar.  Reaching  the  Castle  of 
Inverness,  which  was  shut  against  her,  she  ordered 
an  attack,  followed  by  surrender,  and  the  execution 
of  the  captain  who  held  the  stronghold. 

She  displayed  great  heroism  in  this  campaign,  en- 
during exposure  and  wearisome  marches,  fording  riv- 
ers, crossing  highlands,  and  encamping  on  the  deso- 
late heath ;  regretting  "  that  she  was  not  a  man,  to 
know  what  life  it  was  to  lie  all  night  in  the  fields,  or 
to  walk  upon  the  causeway,  with  a  jack  and  knapsack, 
a  Glasgow  buckler  and  a  broadsword."  After  this 
expedition,  she  gave  to  her  brother  the  earldom 
of  Murray,  which  resulted  in  open  war  with  the  Gor- 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


89 


dons.  The  final  issue  was,  tlie  conquest  of  the  Hara- 
iltons  and  Gordons,  the  farther  triumph  of  Protestant- 
ism, and  augmenting  the  power  of  Murray,  who  was 
virtually  supreme,  and  ruled  with  no  less  energy  than 
prudence. 

Knox  was,  after  all,  the  power  behind  the  throne, 
whom  Murray  and  the  Queen  regarded  as  a  Titan 
among  reformers.  He  wrote  of  her  appearance  in 
Parliament : 


"  Three  sundry  days  the  Queen  rode  to  the  Toll- 
booth  ;  the  first  day  she  made  a  painted  oration,  and 
there  might  have  been  heard  amongst  her  flatterers, 
*  Vox  Diance,  the  voice  of  a  goddess !  (for  it  could 
not  be  Dei,)  and  not  of  a  woman !  —  God  save  that 
sweet  face !  Was  there  ever  orator  spoke  so  properly 
and  so  sweetly !'  All  things,"  he  adds,  "  misliked 
the  preachers.  They  spake  boldly  against  the  super- 
fluity of  their  clothes,  and  against  the  rest  of  their 
vanity,  which  they  affirmed  should  provoke  God's 
wrath  not  only  against  these  foolish  women,  but 
against  the  whole  realm.  Articles  were  presented 
for  orders  to  be  taken  of  apparel,  and  for  reformation 
of  other  enormities,  but  all  was  winked  at." 

Mary's  marriage  was  a  subject  of  much  specula- 
tion and  prophecy.  Knox  heard  that  she  had  reject- 
ed the  king  of  Sweden,  and  was  in  danger  of  an  Aus- 
trian or  Spanish  alliance,  and  openly  denounced  her 
course.  lie  was  again  summoned  into  her  presence ; 
and,  accompanied  by  John  Erskine,  of  Dun,  whose 


90 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


temper  and  aspect  would  remind  one  in  contrast  with 
Knox,  of  Melanctlion  by  Luther's  side,  he  promptly 
obeyed  the  royal  mandate.  The  record  of  the  inter- 
view, as  given  by  himself,  is  an  interesting  exhibition 
of  his  own  aiKl  Mary's  peculiar  qualities.  He  af- 
firms, that  she  immediately  began  to  weep,  and 
Bxclaim : 

"  That  never  prince  was  used  as  she  was ;  ^  I  have,' 
said  she,  '  borne  with  you  in  all  your  rigorous  man- 
Qer  of  speaking,  both  against  myself,  and  against  my 
uncles ;  yea,  I  have  sought  your  favour  by  all  possible 
meanes  ;  I  offered  unto  you  presence  and  audience 
whensoever  it  pleased  you  to  admonish  mee  ;  and  yet 
I  cannot  be  quit  of  you ;  I  vow  to  God  I  shall  be 
once  revenged and  with  these  words  scarce  could 
Marnocke,  one  of  her  pages,  get  handkerchiefs  to 
hold  her  eyes  dry ;  for  the  tears  and  the  howling,  be- 
sides womanly  weeping,  stayed  her  speech. 

The  said  John  did  patiently  abide  all  this  fume, 
and  at  opportunity  answered ;  '  True  it  is,  madame, 
your  majesty  and  I  have  beene  at  diverse  controver- 
sies, into  the  which  I  never  perceived  your  majesty 
to  be  offended  at  me ;  but  when  it  shall  please  God 
to  deliver  you  from  that  bondage  of  darknesse  and 
errour  wherein  ye  have  been  nourished  for  the  lack 
of  true  doctrine,  your  majesty  will  finde  the  liberty 
of  my  tongue  nothing  offensive  ;  Avithout  the  preach- 
ing place,  I  thinke  few  have  occasion  to  be  offended 
at  me ;  and  there  I  am  not  master  myselfe,  but  must 
obey  Him  who  commands  me  to  sj^eak  plaine,  and  to 
■flatter  no  flesh  u])on  the  face  of  the  earth.' 


MAKT    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


91 


" '  But  what  have  jou  to  do,'  said  she,  '  with  my 
marriage  V 

"  'If  it  please  your  majesty  patiently  to  hear  me, 
I  shall  shew  the  truth  in  plain  words.  I  grant  your 
majesty  offered  unto  mee  more  than  ever  I  required, 
but  my  answer  was  then  as  it  is  now,  that  God  hath 
not  sent  me  to  awaite  upon  the  courts  of  ^^rinces,  or 
upon  the  chamber  of  ladies,  but  I  am  sent  to  preach 
the  Evangell  of  Jesus  Christ  to  such  as  please  to  hear ; 
it  hath  two  points,  repentance  and  faith :  ISTow,  in 
preaching  repentance,  of  necessity  it  is  that  the  sinnes 
of  men  be  noted,  that  they  may  know  wherein  they 
offend.  But  so  it  is,  that  most  part  of  your  nobilitie 
are  so  much  addicted  to  your  affections,  that  neither 
God's  word,  nor  yet  their  commonwealth,  are  rightly 
regarded ;  and,  therefore,  it  becometh  me  to  speak 
that  they  may  know  tlieir  duty.' 

" '  What  have  you  to  do  with  my  marriage,  or  what 
are  you  within  the  commonwealth  V 

" '  A  subject,  borne  wdthin  the  same,  madame ;  and 
albeit  I  bee  neither  earle,  lord,  nor  baron,  w^ithin  it, 
yet  hath  God  made  me  (how  abject  that  ever  I  bee  in 
your  eyes,)  a  profitable  and  a  usefull  member  within 
the  same  :  yea,  madame,  to  me  it  appertaineth  no  less 
to  forewarn  of  such  things  as  may  hurt  it,  if  I  foresee 
them,  than  it  doeth  to  any  one  of  the  nobility ;  for 
both  my  vocation  and  office  craveth  plainnesse  of  me : 
and  therefore,  madame,  to  yourselfe  I  say  that  which 
I  spake  in  publike  :  Whensoever  the  nobility  of  this 
realrae  shall  be  content,  and  consent  that  you  be  sub- 
ject to  an  unlawful  husband,  they  doe  as  much  as  in 


92 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


tliem  lietli  to  renounce  Christ,  to  banish  the  truth,  to 
betray  the  freedom  of  this  reahne,  and  perchance 
shall,  in  the  end,  doe  small  comfort  to  yourselfe.' 

"  At  these  words,  howling  was  heard,  and  teares 
might  have  been  scene  in  greater  abundance  than  the 
matter  required.  John  Erskine,  of  Dun,  a  man  of 
meeke  and  gentle  spirit,  stood  beside,  and  did  what 
he  could  to  mitigate  the  anger,  and  gave  unto  her 
many  pleasant  words  of  her  beauty,  of  her  excellen- 
cy, and  how  that  ail  the  princes  in  Europe  would  be 
glad  to  seek  her  favours ;  but  all  that  was  to  cast  oil 
into  the  flaming  fire. 

"JSTo  such  mitigation,  however,  was  offered  by 
Knox,  who  stood  still,  without  any  alteration  of  coun- 
tenance, and  in  the  end  said,  '  Madam,  in  God's  pres- 
ence I  speak,  I  never  delighted  in  the  weeping  of  any 
of  God's  creatures,  yea,  I  can  scarcely  well  abide  the 
teares  of  mine  own  boys,  w^hen  mine  own  hands  cor- 
rect them  ;  much  less  can  I  rejoice  in  your  Inajestie's 
weeping ;  but  seeing  I  have  offered  unto  you  no  just 
occasion  to  be  offended,  but  have  spoken  the  truth, 
as  my  vocation  craves  of  me :  I  must  sustaine  your 
majestie's  teares  rather  than  I  dare  hurt  my  con- 
science, or  betray  the  commonwealth  by  silence.' 
Herewith  was  the  Queen  more  ofiended,  and  com 
manded  the  said  John  to  passe  forth  of  the  cabinet, 
and  to  abide  further  of  her  pleasure  in  the  chamber. 

"  But  in  that  chamber  where  he  stood  as  one  whom 
men  had  never  scene  (except  that  the  Lord  Ochiltree 
bare  him  company,)  the  confidence  of  Ejiox  did  not 
forsake  him ;  and,  therefore,  began  he  to  make  dis 


MAltT    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  93 

course  with  the  ladies,  who  were  there  sitting  in  all 
their  gorgeous  apparel ;  which,  when  he  espied,  he 
merrily  said,  '  Fair  ladies,  how  pleasant  were  this  life 
of  yours,  if  it  should  ever  abide !  and  then  in  the  end 
that  wee  miglit  passe  to  Heaven  with  this  geare  :  but 
lie  upon  that  knave,  Death,  that  will  come  whethei 
we  will  or  not ;  and  when  he  hath  laid  on  the  arrest, 
then  foule  wormes  will  bee  busie  with  this  flesh,  be  it 
never  so  faire  and  so  tender ;  and  the  silly  soule,  I 
feare,  shall  be  so  feeble,  that  it  can  neither  carry  with 
it  gold,  garnishing,  targating,  pearl,  nor  precious 
stones.' " 

Farther  efforts  at  intimidation  were  made  by  the 
Queen  in  vain,  and  Knox  left  her  in  triumph.  Soon 
after  he  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  Lord  Ochil- 
tree, an  interesting  young  lady,  twenty  years  of  age ; 
resembling,  in  her  companionship  with  the  Reformer, 
\  bell-flovv^er  clinging  to  the  side  of  an  immovable 
rock. 

The  question  of  Mary's  marriage  also  involved  the 
English  interest.  She  wished  to  be  declared  the  pre- 
sumptive heiress  of  Elizabeth,  and  on  that  condition 
would  submit  to  her  tlie  choice  of  a  husband.  For 
three  years,  it  was  a  matter  of  correspondence  between 
the  sovereigns,  and  their  ambassadors  endeavored  to 
make  the  negotiations  friendly  and  successful.  The 
English  hoped  to  secure  a  Protestant  alliance,  and 
with  it  Mary's  conversion  from  Popery. 

But  while  she  firmly  refused  to  sign  the  treaty  of 
Edinburgh,  a  step  urged  by  her  rival,  she  as  little 
bought  of  renouncing,  under  any  circumstances,  her 


94 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


allegiance  to  Eome.  The  Queen  of  England  was  as 
deejily  hostile  to  nominating  Mary  her  successor. 
"While  pursuing  these  different  ends,  to  bring  the  con- 
flicting claims  to  a  favorable  termination,  a  personal 
meeting  was  proposed.  "When,  therefore,  Lethington 
returned  to  Edinburgh,  with  a  kind  letter  from  Eliza- 
beth, and  her  portrait,  offering  an  interview,  in  the 
hope  of  cultivating,  permanently,  harmony  between 
the  two  realms,  Mary  manifested  great  joy.  With 
her  natural  vivacity  and  hopefulness,  she  said  to  Ran- 
dolph, "  I  trust  by  that  time  that  we  have  spoken  to- 
gether, our  hearts  will  be  so  eased,  that  the  greatest 
grief  that  ever  after  shall  be  between  us,  will  be  when 
we  shall  take  leave,  the  one  of  the  other.  And  let  God 
be  my  witness,  I  honor  her  in  my  heart,  and  love  her 
as  my  dear  and  natural  sister." 

This  pledge  from  Elizabeth  was  not  fulfilled.  She 
was  involved  in  the  continental  wars,  assisting  the 
Huguenots,  which  she  plead  in  her  message  to  Mary, 
as  a  sufiicient  reason  for  postponing  the  interview  till 
the  following  summer.  The  disappointment  of  the 
Queen  of  Scots  upon  hearing  the  announcement  from 
Sir  Henry  Sidney,  was  significant  of  future  attempts 
of  a  similar  kind.  'Nor  could  it  well  be,  that  the  am- 
bitious sovereigns,  so  dissimilar  in  the  whole  outline 
of  character,  should  confide  in  each  other.  "  Both 
training  and  nature  conspired  to  make  these  women 
opposites.  Elizabeth's  youth  had  been  one  of  fear, 
and  caution,  and  restraints,  and  her  deportment  al- 
ways bore  traces  of  this  hard  discipline,  in  its  stiffness 
and  want  of  grace.    Mary's  had  been  tenderly  fos- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


95 


tered ;  she  was  admired  and  even  beloved,  as  far  as 
the  denizens  of  that  court  had  hearts  to  love.  Her 
*  charming  nature'  could  expand  in  all  the  sunshine 
of  general  approval  —  there  were  no  cold  checks 
shutting  her  up  within  herself ;  her  manner  was,  there- 
fore, open,  frank,  engaging,  and  cordial — how  should 
a  prosperous,  joyous  beauty's  ever  be  otherwise  ?  But 
it  was  only  an  accomplishment,  formed  not  by  the 
heart  so  much  as  by  external  circumstances.  She 
had  no  need  in  her  youth  for  habitual  circumspection, 
and  her  general  demeanor  was  the  gainer  by  it." 

During  the  winter  of  1563,  Mary  dispatched  Leth- 
ington  to  the  court  of  Elizabeth,  to  gain  her  favor 
towards  the  princes  of  Lorraine,  and  assert  the  right 
of  succession,  if  the  question  should  be  agitated. 
Mary's  temperament,  and  tmfortunate  education,  were 
never  more  conspicuous  than  at  this  period,  while 
vital  questions  to  herself  and  her  kingdom  were  pend- 
ing. She  abandoned  herself  to  all  the  amusements 
and  pleasures  of  a  gay  court.  Music,  dancing,  fal- 
conry, poesy,  and  gallantries  were  the  variety  of  life 
in  the  palace  of  Ilolyrood.  In  vain  Knox  mounted 
his  pulpit  to  denounce  the  midnight  festivities  of  roy- 
alty. He  complained,  "  that  princes  are  more  exer- 
cised in  fiddling  and  flinging,  than  in  reading  or  hear- 
ing of  God's  most  blessed  word.  Fiddlers  and  flatterers 
who  commonly  corrupt  the  youth,  are  more  precious 
in  their  eyes  than  men  of  wisdom  and  gravity,  who, 
by  wholesome  admonition  might  beat  down  in  them 
some  part  of  the  vanity  and  pride  whereunto  all  are 
born,  but  in  princes  take  deep  root  and  strength  by 


96 


MAKY    QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


wicked  education."  Mary's  dissipation,  naturally 
enough,  engaged  her  in  unhappy  attentions  from  em- 
boldened admirers. 

A  Captain  Hepburn  was  so  familiar  and  indelicate 
in  his  advances,  that  he  escaped  punishment  only  by 
flight.  Chastelard,  a  poet  and  musician  from  Dau- 
phiny,  became  a  lover.  He  addressed  poems  to  the 
beautiful  Queen,  to  which,  by  proxy  or  otherwise,  she 
replied ;  she  allowed  private  visits  in  her  cabinet 
more  frequently  than  to  any  of  her  nobility  ;  and  by 
other  expressions  of  peculiar  regard,  intoxicated  him 
with  j^assion.  One  evening  he  ventured  to  conceal 
himself  under  her  bed,  and  upon  his  discovery,  Mary 
ordered  him  to  leave  the  court  forever.  Instead  of 
compliance  with  the  command,  the  infatuated  lover 
followed  her  into  Fife,  whitfeer  she  had  gone  on  a  tour 
to  the  North,  and  again  concealed  himself  in  her  apart- 
ment. In  a  glow  of  indignation,  she  ordered  Murray 
to  kill  Chastelard  on  the  spot.  But  the  calmer  states- 
man put  him  under  arrest  for  more  deliberate  con- 
demnation. Two  days  later  he  walked  to  the  scaffold, 
reciting  Ronsard's  hymn  to  death ;  and  when  he  stood 
ready  for  the  fatal  blow,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  Heaven 
and  exclaimed,  O  cruelle  dame  !  "  The  wide-spread 
and  deep  sensation  produced  by  this  tragical  affair, 
which,  whatever  the  desert  of  "  the  mad  lover,"  tar- 
nished Mary's  reputation,  urged  upon  her  the  neces- 
sity of  marriage.  Amid  the  many  politic  offers  of  an 
alliance,  Elizabeth  about  this  time  proposed,  through 
her  ambassador,  Randolph,  Lord  Robert  Dudley,  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland.    He  had  wisely 


MAET    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


97 


governed  England  under  Edward  YL,  but  presented 
no  inducement  to  Mary  Stuart,  unless  liei  haughty 
rival  would  secure  the  right  of  succession.  Besides, 
another  suitor  more  promising  to  her  ambition,  and 
more  pleasing  to  her  fancy,  entered  the  field  of  this 
matrimonial  tournament.  Lord  Henry  Darnley  was 
the  son  of  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  a  refugee  in  England 
for  having  joined  the  cause  of  Henry  YIIL,  who  mar- 
ried Lady  Margaret  Douglas,  daughter  of  Margaret 
Tudor,  widow  of  James  lY.  Connected  thus  with 
the  royal  families  of  both  England  and  Scotland,  and 
a  young  gentleman  of  very  fine  personal  appearance 
and  elegant  manners,  Darnley  was  a  favorite  with  the 
Queen.  His  mother  had,  since  Mary's  return,  been 
secret!}^  planning  for  her  son's  promotion,  unconscious 
that  it  would  be  his  ruin.  Lennox  was  invited  to 
resume  the  lands  and  honors  which  he  had  forfeited 
and  abandoned  in  Scotland ;  Elizabeth  consented, 
and  the  earl  arrived  on  his  ancestral  domain,  Sep- 
tember, 1564.  Mary  lavished  her  favors  upon  him, 
though  it  excited  anew  the  displeasure  of  the  Ham- 
iltons,  his  bitter  enemies.  Mary  determined,  after 
consulting  him,  before  a  final  resolution  on  the  sub- 
ject, to  ascertain  more  fully  Elizabeth's  views  of  her 
prospective  marriage,  and  the  two  suitors.  She  there- 
fore dispatched  James  Melvil,  a  finished  diplomatist, 
a  scholar,  and  an  accomplished  gentleman,  to  the 
English  court.  Elizabeth,  whose  vanity  was  as  pro- 
verbial as  her  policy,  received  Melvil  wdth  every 
mark  of  distinction.  He  was  a  guest  of  Lady  Straf- 
ford, the  Queen's  confidant  —  Elizabeth  entertained 
E  7 


93 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


him  with  her  music,  and  danced  in  his  presence.  lie 
displayed  his  tact  and  talent  in  the  reply  to  the  (ques- 
tion, the  color  of  whose  hair  was  reputed  best  —  that  of 
her  own  or  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland?  lie  answered 
that  "  there  was  no  one  in  England  comparable  to 
her,  and  no  one  in  Scotland  so  beautiful  as  Mary  Stu- 
art." She  was  not  satisfied  with  so  ecpii vocal  a  com- 
pliment, and  Melvil  assured  her,  she  excelled  Mary 
in  complexion,  music  and  dancing.  Such  flatteries 
reached  the  proud  heart  of  Elizabeth.  She  kissed  the 
portrait  of  Mary  Stuart,  and  smiled  brightly  on  Mel- 
vil. lie,  however,  assured  her,  that  Lord  Robert 
Dudley  would  fail  of  winning  the  hand  of  his  sove- 
reign. She  replied  excitedly,  "  Lord  Robert  is  my 
best  friend  ;  I  love  him  as  a  brother,  and  I  would  my- 
self have  married  him,  had  I  ever  minded  to  have 
taken  a  husband.  But  being  determined  to  end  my 
life  in  virginity,  I  wished  that  the  Queen,  my  sister, 
might  marry  him,  as  meetest  of  all  others  with  whom 
I  could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  declare  my  succession. 
For  being  matched  with  him,  it  would  best  remove  out 
of  my  mind  all  fears  and  suspicions  to  be  ofiended  by 
any  usurpation  before  my  death  ;  being  assured  that 
he  is  so  loving  and  trusty,  that  he  would  never  permit 
any  such  thing  to  be  attempted  during  my  time.  And 
that  the  Queen,  your  mistress,  may  have  the  higher 
esteem  of  him,  I  will  make  him,  in  a  few  days,  Earl  of 
Leicester,  and  Baron  of  Denbigh."  Soon  afterward 
Elizabeth  fulfilled  her  pledge,  and  with  her  own  hand 
placed  the  coronet  of  an  earl  upon  his  brow,  and 
when  the  splendid  ceremonies  were  over,  she  turned 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


99 


to  Melvil  and  asked  his  opinion  of  Dudley.  He 
replied,  "  that  as  he  was  a  worthy  servant,  so  he  was 
happy  who  had  a  princess  who  could  discern  and 
reward  good  service."  Pointing  to  Darnley,  who,  as 
nearest  prince  of  the  blood,  bore  the  sword  of  honor, 
she  added,  "  Yet  you  like  better  yonder  long  lad." 
"With  a  courtier's  ^deceptive  speech,  he  told  her  "  that 
no  woman  of  spirit  would  make  choice  of  such  a  man, 
who  was  more  like  a  woman  than  a  man,  for  he  was 
handsome,  beardless,  and  lady-faced." 

During  repeated  interviews,  Elizabeth  affirmed  that 
if  Mary  would  marry  Lord  Dudley,  the  matter  of 
succession  would  be  arranged.  She  said  "that  it  was 
her  own  resolution  to  remain  till  her  death,  a  virgin 
Queen^  and  that  nothing  would  compel  her  to  change 
her  mind,  except  the  undutiful  behavior  of  the  Queen, 
her  sister."  Melvil  records,  that  upon  his  departure  for 
Scotland,  "  she  used  all  the  means  she  could  to  oblige 
me  to  persuade  the  Queen,  my  mistress,  of  the  great 
love  she  did  bear  unto  her,  and  that  she  was  fully 
minded  to  put  away  all  jealousies  and  suspicions,  and 
in  times-coming  to  entertain  a  stricter  friendship  than 
formerly."  The  conclusion  seems  inevitable,  that 
Elizabeth  was  patriotic  as  well  as  ambitious,  and  the 
glory  of  England  was  more  attractive  than  the  heart- 
less mockery  of  love  in  a  royal  marriage.  It  doubt- 
less would  have  been  her  choice,  that  Mary  should 
live  single  like  herself,  and  this  policy  entered  into 
her  proposal  of  Lord  Dudley,  who,  she  must  have 
known,  would  have  been  rejected  without  the  condi- 
tion of  the  renewed  succession  to  the  Queen  of  Scots. 


100 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Tlie  following  letter  is  an  interesting  review  of  the 
events  wliicli  have  been  related : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  AECIIBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW  * 

"Fkom  Lislebourg,  2nd  November,  1564. 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow,  the  bearer  of  this,  has  beg- 
ged so  earnestly  to  be  taken  into  ^mj  service,  that, 
without  considering  his  youth,  as  I  had  before  done, 
I  would  not  let  him  set  out  without  this  short  letter, 
in  which  I  shall  give  you  much  news,  referring  to  that 
which  I  have  commanded  him  to  say  relative  to  the 
appointments  of  the  Duke,f  and  of  the  Earl  of  Len- 
nox, for  the  doing  of  which  the  more  easily,  it  was 
necessary  that  this  duke  should  resign  to  you  the  pro- 
vostshij)  of  Glasgow,  agreeably  to  the  promise  which 
he  made  you.  I  assured  him  that  you  would  assent 
either  to  my  disposing  of  it,  or  reserving  it  for  you, 
being  certain  that,  at  my  request,  and  for  my  service, 
you  would  at  any  time  give  it  back  to  the  said  Earl 
of  Lennox,  as  the  bearer  will  tell  you ;  also  about  the 
return  of  Melvil,  whom  I  sent  to  the  Queen,  my  good 
sister,  with  an  apology  for  some  letters  which  I  had 
written  to  her,  and  which  she  considered  rather  rude  ; 
but  she  took  the  interpretation  which  he  put  upon 
them  in  good  part,  and  has  since  sent  me  Randolph, 

*  James  Beathon,  or  Bethim,  the  last  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Glas- 
gow, fled  from  Scotland  when  the  Catholic  religion  fell  into  disre- 
pute, and  retired  to  France,  where  he  acted  as  ambassador  for  Mary, 
and  her  son  James  VI.,  for  the  period  of  twenty  years.  He  died  in 
Paris  in  1603,  at  the  age  of  8G. 

f  The  Earl  of  Arran,  created  Due  de  Chatellerault,  by  the  King  of 
France. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


101 


who  is  here  at  present,  and  has  brought  me  some  very 
kind  and  polite  letters,  written  by  her  own  hand,  con- 
taining fair  words,  and  some  complaints  that  the 

Queen'^  and  her  ambassador,  had 

assured  her  that  I  had  published  in  mockery  propo- 
sals which  she  had  made  me  to  marry  Lord  Eobert.f 
I  cannot  imagine  that  any  of  those  over  there  could 
wish  to  embroil  me  so  much  with  her,  since  I  have 
neither  spoken  to  anybody,  nor  written  respecting 
this  proposal,  not  even  to  the  Queen,  who,  I  am  sure, 
would  not  have  borne  such  testimony  against  me  ; 
but  I  have  thought  of  writing  about  it  to  M.  de  Foix, 
and  to  Baptiste.  In  the  meantime,  if  you  hear  any- 
thing, talk  to  him  on  his  return  from  England ;  let 
me  know,  but  do  not  mention  a  word  about  what  I 
am  writing  to  you  to  any  one  whatever. 

For  the  rest,  I  shall  hold  the  Parliament  on  the  5th 
of  next  month,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  reinstating  the 
Earl  of  Lennox  in  his  possessions,  and  afterward  I 
shall  not  fail  to  dispatch  to  you  a  gentleman,  who  will 
acquaint  you  with  all  that  has  occurred,  more  at 
length  than  I  can  inform  you  at  present.  Meanwhile 
I  beg  you  to  answer  the  letters  I  wrote  to  you  by 
Eolland,  and  give  me  a  circumstantial  account  of  all 
the  news  where  you  are.  I  conclude  at  present,  recom- 
mending myself  heartily  to  you,  praying  God  to  give 
you  his  grace. 

"Your  very  kind  mistress  and  friend, 

"Mary  E." 


*  Catherine,  Queen  of  France. 

f  Loi'd  Robert  Dudley,  afterward  Earl  of  Leicester. 


102 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


At  tlie  beginning  of  tli3  year  1565,  Mary  Stuart, 
having  retired  to  St.  Andrews  for  an  interlude  to  the 
cares  of  the  palace,  Randolph  visited  her  there  at  the 
repeated  solicitation  of  Elizabeth.  He  has  given  a 
sketch  of  the  interview. 

"  Her  grace  lodged  in  a  merchant's  house  ;  her 
train  was  very  few ;  and  there  was  small  repair  from 
any  part.  Her  will  was,  that,  for  the  time  that  I  did 
tarry  I  should  dine  and  sup  w^ith  her.  Your  majesty 
was  oftentimes  dranken  unto  by  her,  at  dinners  and 
suppers.  Having  in  this  sort  continued  with  her 
grace  Sunday,  Monday,  and  Tuesday,  I  thought  it 
time  to  take  occasion  to  utter  that  which,  last  I  re- 
ceived in  command  from  your  majesty,  by  Mr.  Sec- 
retary's letter ;  which  was  to  know  her  grace's  reso- 
lution, touching  those  matters  propounded  at  Berwick 
by  my  Lord  of  Bedford  and  me,  to  my  Lord  of  Mur- 
ray, and  Lord  of  Liddington  ;  I  had  no  sooner  spoken 
these  words,  but  she  saith,  '  I  see  now  well  that  you 
are  weary  of  this  company  and  treatment ;  I  sent  for 
you  to  be  merry,  and  to  see  how^  like  a  Bourgeoise  wife 
I  live,  with  my  little  troop,  and  you  will  interrupt  our 
pastime  with  your  great  and  grave  matters ;  I  pray 
you,  sir,  if  you  be  weary  here,  return  home  to  Edin- 
burgh, and  keep  your  gravity  and  great  embassade 
imtil  the  Queen  come  thither ;  for  I  assure  you,  you 
hall  not  get  her  here,  nor  I  know  not  myself  where 
she  is  become  ;  you  see  neither  cloth  of  estate,  nor 
such  appearance  that  you  may  think  there  is  a  Queen 
here ;  nor  I  would  not  that  you  should  think  that  I 
am  she  at  St.  Andrews,  that  I  was  at  Edinburgh.' 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


103 


"  I  said  tliat  I  was  very  sorry  for  that,  for  that  at 
Edinburgh  she  said  that  she  did  love  my  mistress,  the 
Queen's  majesty,  better  than  any  other,  and  now  I 
marveled  how  her  mind  was  altered.  It  pleased  her 
at  this  to  be  very  merry,  and  called  me  by  more 
names  than  were  given  me  at  my  christening.  At 
these  merry  conceits  much  good  sport  was  made. 
*  But  well,  sir, '  saith  she,  '  that  which  then  I  spoke  in 
words  shall  be  confirmed  to  my  good  sister,  your  mis- 
tress, in  writing  ;  before  you  go  out  of  this  town  you 
shall  have  a  letter  unto  her,  and  for  yourself,  go  where 
you  will,  I  care  no  more  for  you.'  The  next  day  I 
was  willed  to  be  at  my  ordinary  table,  being  placed 
the  next  person  (saving  worthy  Beaton^)  to  the 
Queen's  self. 

"  Yery  merrily  she  passeth  her  time  :  after  dinner 
she  rideth  abroad.  It  pleased  her  the  most  part  of 
the  time  to  talk  with  me  ;  she  had  occasion  to  speak 
much  of  France,  for  the  honor  she  received  there  ;  to 
be  wife  unto  a  great  king,  and  for  friendship  shown 
unto  her  in  particular,  by  many,  for  which  occasions 
she  is  bound  to  love  the  nation,  to  show  them  pleas- 
ure and  to  do  them  good. 

"  Her  acquaintance  is  not  so  forgotten  there,  nor 
her  friendship  so  little  esteemed,  but  yet  it  is  divers 
ways  sought  to  be  continued.  She  hath  of  her  peo- 
ple, many  well  affected  that  way,  for  the  nourriture 
that  they  have  had  there,  and  the  commodity  of  ser- 

*Mary  Beaton,  who,  from  her  infancy,  had  been  a  maid  of  honor. 
She  was  the  niece  of  Cardinal  Beaton. 


104 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


vice,  as  tliose  of  the  guard,  and  men  at  arms ;  be 
sides,  privileges  great  for  the  merchants,  more  than 
ever  were  granted  to  any  nation.  What  privately, 
of  long  time,  hath  been  sought,  and  yet  is,  for  myself 
to  yield  unto  their  desires  in  my  marriage,  her  ma- 
jesty cannot  be  ignorant,  and  you  have  heard.  To 
have  such  friends,  and  see  such  offers  (without  assu- 
rance of  as  good,)  nobody  will  give  me  advice  that 
loveth  me.  JSTot  to  marry,  you  know,  it  cannot  be  for 
me :  to  defer  it  long,  many  incommodities  ensue. 
How  privy  to  my  mind,  your  mistress  hath  been  here- 
in ;  how  willing  I  am  to  follow  her  advice,  I  have 
shown  many  times,  and  yet  can  I  find  in  her  no 
resolution  nor  determination.  For  nothing,  I  cannot 
be  bound  unto  her ;  and  to  France,  my  will  against 
her.  I  have  lately  given  assurance  to  my  brother  of 
Murray  and  Liddington,  that  I  am  loath,  and  so  do 
now  show  unto  yourself,  if  your  mistress  did,  as  she 
hath  said,  use  me  as  her  natural  born  sister  or  daugh- 
ter, I  w^ill  show  no  less  readiness  to  oblige  and  honor 
her  than  my  elder  sister  or  mother ;  but,  if  she  will 
repute  me  always  but  as  her  neighbor.  Queen  of  Scots, 
how  w^ilHngly  soever  I  be  to  live  in  amity,  and  to  main- 
tain peace  ;  yet  must  she  not  look  for  that  at  my  hands, 
that  otherwise  I  would,  or  she  desireth.  To  forsake 
friendship  offered,  and  present  commodity  for  uncer- 
tainty, no  friend  will  advise  me,  nor  your  mistress 
herself  approve  my  wisdom.  Let  her,  therefore, 
measure  my  case  as  her  own,  and  so  will  I  be  to  her. 
For  these  causes,  until  my  sister  and  I  have  further 
proceeded,  I  must  apply  my  mind  to  the  advice  of 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


105 


those  tliat  seem  to  tender  most  my  profit,  that  show 
their  care  over  me,  and  wish  me  most  good." 

At  this  crisis,  Darnley,  a  youth  of  nineteen,  joined 
his  father  in  Scotland.  The  motives  which  governed 
Elizabeth  in  permitting  him  to  leave  her  realm,  are 
not  certainly  known.  It  is  most  natural,  certainly,  to 
suppose,  that  while  continental  princes  w^ere  expec- 
tant of  success,  and  Darnley's  presence  could  not 
make  matters  worse  ;  she  also  granted  the  request  as 
a  condescension  to  him.  The  young  lord  was  a 
shrewd  dissembler,  and  a  captivating  suitor.  He 
placed  himself  under  Murray's  guidance  —  in  the 
morning  went  to  hear  Knox  preach,  and  in  the  even- 
ing danced  a  galliard  with  Mary.  The  Protestant 
church  he  would  thus  conciliate,  and  also  secure  the 
favor  of  the  court.  Educated  a  Catholic,  he  was 
neither  a  devotee  of  Eome,  nor  an  adherent  of  Knox. 
But  Murray  was  not  so  easily  won. 

From  this  moment  the  struggle  began  between  the 
two  candidates  of  the  Reformers  and  Catholics ;  be- 
tween Leicester,  who  was  supported  by  Lethington 
and  Murray  —  and  Darnley,  who  was  strongly  sus- 
stained  by  the  Earl  of  Athol,  all  the  Scottish  barons 
who  had  remained  faithful  to  their  ancient  creed,  and 
an  Italian  named  David  Rizzio,  who  had  succeeded 
EauUet  as  the  Queen's  Secretary  for  French  corres- 
pondence, and  who  had  already  gained  great  influ- 
ence over  her.  Lethington,  at  this  time,  wrote  to 
Cecil  a  number  of  letters,  full  of  the  most  polite  con- 
siderations, in  favor  of  a  marriage  which  he  thought 


lOG  MARY     QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 

mii^lit  bo  so  useful  to  their  common  cause  and  tlieir 
two  countries,  and  besought  him  to  obtain  from  Eliz- 
abeth that  concession  which  alone  was  needed  to  en- 
sure its  success.  But  Elizabeth  complained  that  this 
was  transforming  the  negotiation  too  much  into  a 
matter  of  bargain,  and  jocularly  told  Melvil,  that 
Lethington,  in  his  constant  allusions  to  the  succession, 
was,  like  a  death-watch,  ever  ringing  her  knell  in  her 
ears.  Lethington  replied  that  his  mistress  merely 
sought  a  probable  reason  to  lay  against  the  objections 
of  foreign  princes,  that  they  might  see  that  no  vain 
or  light  conceit  had  moved  her  to  yield  to  the  Queen 
of  England's  request  in  her  marriage.  As  for  him- 
self, giving  way  to  an  enthusiasm  which  was  far  from 
habitual  in  him,  he  reminded  Cecil  of  the  union  of 
England  and  Scotland,  ^vhich  would  be  effectuated  by 
this  marriage,  in  language  full  of  noble  patriotism. 
"  Such  a  stroke  of  policy,"  he  remarked,  "  would 
secure  for  us  a  more  glorious  memory,  a  more  unfa- 
ding gratitude  in  the  ages  to  come,  than  belongs  to 
those  who  did  most  valiantly,  serve  king  Edward  the 
First  in  his  conquest,  or  king  Robert,  the  Bruce,  in 
his  recovery  of  the  country." 

Murray  took  a  similar  view,  and  urged  the  claims 
of  Lord  Dudley.  If  Elizabeth  was  ambitious  in  re- 
fusing to  nominate  her  sister  successor,  Mary  was  no 
less  aspiring  in  rejecting  Dudley,  if  the  English 
crown  prospectively  were  not  made  the  premium  of 
acceptance.  A  definite  declaration  becoming  neces- 
sary, Elizabeth  directed  Randolph  to  communicate  to 
Mary  Stuart,  her  decision  not  to  recognize  the  right 


MARY    QUKEN    OF  SCOTS. 


107 


of  succession  in  any  emergency ;  but  if  the  Earl  of 
Leicester  were  accepted  as  such,  slie  would  have  no 
cause  to  repent  the  confidence  reposed  in  her  munifi- 
cence. When  the  message  was  deli  veered,  the  Queen 
of  Scots  wept  long  and  violently.  The  storm  passed, 
and  Mary's  feelings  and  purpose  turned  toward  Darn- 
ley.  She  admired  him,  and  there  was  probably  more 
affection  indulged  than  she  had  known  toward  any 
other  lover  since  Francis  died.  The  step  was  one  of 
collision  with  Murray,  who  opposed  the  marriage,  and 
developed  the  opposition  of  the  Protestant  party,  with 
the  hostility  of  the  Hamiltons,  foes  of  Lennox  ;  wdiile 
Elizabeth  saw  in  it  a  probable  alliance  with  the  Cath- 
olic powers  of  Europe,  which  wonld  array  against 
her  the  subjects  of  her  own  realm  who  maintained 
the  Eomish  faith.  Mary  having  settled  the  choice  of 
a  husband,  addressed  herself  to  the  w^ork  of  reducing 
the  ctioiLgli  "f  '^pposers.  She  recalled  from  France 
the  dissolute  Earl  of  Bothwell,  to  confront  Murray, 
whom  he  intensely  hated,  and  proposed  the  restora- 
tion of  Earl  Huntly,  w^iose  family  Murray  had  dis- 
graced. She  likewise  endeavored  to  convert  her 
brother  to  her  plans,  by  commanding  his  return  to 
the  court  from  which  he  had  withdrawn,  and  de- 
manding his  signature  to  a  paper  approving  her  mar- 
riage. This  he  refused,  and  gave  reasons  of  state 
and  church  policy.  Mary  was  indignant,  and  with- 
out sufficient  ground,  charged  him  with  aiming  his 
rebellion  at  her  crown.  The  result  was  open  war  be- 
tween them. 

Murray  appeared  in  Edinburgh  with  five  or  six 


108 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


thousand  men,  to  procure  Botliwell's  condemnation, 
and  entered  into  a  league  with  the  Duke  of  Chatell- 
erault  and  Earl  of  Argyle  for  mutual  aid  and  de- 
fence, lie  conferred  with  the  Protestant  clergy  con- 
cerning their  protection,  and  applied,  through  llan- 
dolph  to  Elizabeth,  for  whatever  help  she  might  be 
willing  to  afford.  Tlie  choice  of  Darnley  had  been  de- 
clared in  the  Privy  Council  of  the  Queen  of  England, 
"prejudicial  to  both  Queens,  and  consequently  dan- 
gerous to  the  weal  of  both  countries."  She  sent 
Throckmorton  to  curry  to  Mary  Stuart  that  opinion, 
and  once  more  propose  Lord  Dudley.  When  he 
reached  Scotland,  it  was  quite  too  late  to  interfere. 
She  had  not  only  watched  at  the  sick  bed  of  Darnley, 
but  on  the  1st  of  May,  1565,  she  announced  to  a  con- 
vention of  the  nobility,  which  she  had  called  for  the 
purpose,  her  intention  of  marrying  him.  The  meas- 
ure was  approved  unanimously ;  and  she  then  added 
to  Darnley's  honors,  the  lordship  of  Ardmanoch,  and 
the  earldom  of  Poss.  She  replied  to  Throckmorton's 
message  :  "  As  to  her  good  sister's  great  dislike  to 
the  match,  this  w^as,  indeed,  a  marvelous  circum- 
stance, since  the  selection  was  made  in  conformity  to 
the  Queen's  wishes,  as  communicated  by  Mr.  Pan- 
dolph.  She  had  rejected  all  foreign  suitors,  and  had 
chosen  an  Englishman,  descended  from  the  blood 
royal  of  both  kingdoms,  and  the  first  prince  of  the 
blood  in  England  ;  and  one  whom  she  believed  would, 
for  these  reasons,  be  acceptable  to  the  subjects  of  both 
realms." 

Mary  postponed  the  wedding,  if  possible,  to  propi- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


109 


tiate  her  powerful  neiglibor,  and  avoid  a  hopeless 
alienation.  Elizabeth  was  enraged,  and  sent  tlic 
Countess  of  Lennox,  Darnley's  mother,  who  was  still 
in  England,  to  the  Tower,  and  summoned  the  Earl 
and  his  son  to  return.  Lennox  refused,  until  assured 
of  the  Queen's  favor.  Darnley  replied  to  the  mes- 
senger, with  more  sj^irit :  "  I  do  now  acknowledge 
no  other  duty  or  obedience  but  to  the  Queen  here, 
whom  I  love  and  honour ;  and  seeing  that  the  other, 
your  mistress,  is  so  envious  of  my  good  fortune,  I 
doubt  not  but  she  may  have  need  of  me,  as  you  shall 
know  within  a  few  days.  Wherefore  to  return  I  in- 
tend not;  I  find  myself  very  well  where  I  am,  and 
so  purpose  to  keep  me  ;  and  this  shall  be  your  an- 
swer." 

Elizabeth  assured  the  Reformers  of  her  support, 
who  made  a  desperate  effort  to  prevent  the  marriage. 
The  General  Assembly  of  the  Scottish  Church  met 
at  the  call  of  Knox  and  Eai'l  of  Argyle,  and  resolved 
to  petition  the  Queen  for  the  abolition  of  mass,  and 
uniformity  of  the  established  religion  throughout  her 
kingdom.  She  conceded  their  right  to  maintain  di- 
vine worship  as  they  desired,  but  claimed  the  same 
toleration  toward  himself.  While  she  calmed  the 
fears  of  many,  Murray,  whose  whole  nature  was  in  a 
glow  of  indignation,  in  which  blended  the  fires  of 
hate  to  Popery  and  personal  enemies,  and  the  appre- 
hension of  peril  to  both  church  and  state,  headed  a 
plot  to  surprise  Mary  and  Darnley,  on  their  way  from 
Perth  to  Callendar  —  either  kill,  or  deliver  him  to 
the  English — imprison  Mary,  and  reinstate  Mun^ay, 


[10 


ISIAllY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


The  conspiracy  was  detected,  and  the  only  alternative 
was  a  general  revolt. 

Murray  called  the  people  to  arms,  and  Mary  sum- 
moned the  vassals  of  the  crown  to  assemble  immedi- 
ately at  Edinburgh,  prepared  for  war.  She  issued  a 
proclamation,  designed  to  keep  the  church  tranquil, 
and  for  the  first  time  attended  at  Callendar,  the  ser- 
vices of  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  heard  the  gos- 
pel from  what  she  deemed  heretical  lips.  This  was  a 
sacrifice  of  consolence^  to  prevent  an  uprising  of  the 
Reformers  to  join  the  rebellious  nobles.  She  felt  the 
need  of  haste,  to  remove  inducements  to  opposition, 
and  creating  Darnley  Duke  of  Albany,  she  received, 
July  22d,  a  dispensation  from  the  Pope  of  Eome, 
making  legal  her  marriage  w^itli  a  cousin,  and  ap- 
pointed Sunday,  the  29th,  as  the  day  for  the  nuptials. 
The  preceding  day  she  gave  Darnley  the  title  of  King, 
which  completely  intoxicated  his  brain,  and  he  began 
to  show  his  consciousness  of  authority.  Wise  men 
shook  their  heads  at  the  strides  the  "  long  lad  "  was 
making. 

The  Sabbath-dawn  had  scarcely  reached  the  zenith 
of  heaven,  when,  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  Mary, 
in  her  rich  mourning  apparel,  and  the  noble  form 
of  Darnley,  entered  the  royal  chapel  of  Holyrood. 
The  Dean  of  Restabrig  performed  the  ceremony  ; 
the  Queen,  after  the  matrimonial  salutation  from 
Darnley,  kneeled  at  the  altar  to  hear  mass,  while  he 
retired  to  the  chase  —  avoiding,  by  this  movement, 
the  Increased  suspicion  of  the  Protestants.  Upon 
reaching  her  palace,  Mary  put  off  the  sable  attire, 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Ill 


and  appeared  in  magnificent  bridal  robes.  A  ban- 
quet followed.  The  Earls  Athol,  Morton,  Crawford, 
Eglington  and  Carsilles,  were  table  attendants.  Mon- 
ey was  scattered  among  the  gathered  populace,  and 
the  scene  concluded  with  dancing  and  festivity. 
Darnley  flaunted  in  kingly  splendor,  and  Mary  Stu- 
art dreamed  of  a  glorious  future,  as  the  silence  of 
morning  succeeded  "  music's  voluptuous  swell,"  and 
the  hum  of  excited  guests — -a  brief  and  delusive 
vision  ! 


CHAPTER  IV 

TUE  IMMEDIATE  RESULT3  OF  MARt's  MARPwIAGE  WITH  DARNLET  CAMPAIGIT 

AGAINST  MURRAY  MARY  STUART  IS  VICTORIOUS  SHE  WRITES  TO  ARCH- 
BISHOP OF   GLASGOW  ISSUES    A  PROCLAMATION  SHE    DISCLOSES  HEB 

PLANS  FOR   RESTORING  THE  CATHOLIC  FAITH  LETTER   TO  PHILIP  IL  OF 

SPAIN  MARY  MARCHING    A   THIRD    TIME     AGAINST   MURRAY,  TOTALLY 

ROUTES  HIS    FACTION  HE   FLIES  TO  ENGLAND  ELIZABETH  EXTORTS  A 

CONFESSION  THAT  SHE  DID  NOT  ENCOURAGE  THE  REBELLION  MARY's  POL- 
ICY RIZZIO's  ELEVATION  DARNLEY  LOSES  THE  QUEEN's  CONFIDENCE  

HIS  ASPIRATIONS  DARNLEY  PLOTS  RIZZIo's  DEATH  THE  TRAGEDY  M A- 

RY's  FEELINGS  AND  CONDUCT  MARY  IS  A  CAPTIVE  DARNLEY  RELENTS 

 THE  FLIGin  MARY  GATHERS  AN  ARMY  CAMPAIGNS  AND  VICTORIES 

 TROUBLE  WITH  DARNLEY  INCREASES  A  SON  IS  BORN  CONGRATULA- 
TIONS ANTICIPATIONS  BOTHAVELL  AND  MARY  EXCURSIONS  DARN- 

LEy's  PLANS  YIELDS   TO   MARY  THE    CHRISTENING  A  DIVORCE  OR 

MURDER  SUGGESTED  TO  MARY  THE  CONSPIRACY  MARY's  GUII^T  —  THE 

ISSUE. 

Mary's  marriage  to  Lord  Darnley  was  a  decisive 
stroke  in  lier  destiny —  the  glory-gilded  summit,  from 
which  her  descent  to  a  sea-girdled  prison  began.  The 
friendly  correspondence  that  had  for  fom*  years  existed 
between  the  Queen  of  Scots  and  Elizabeth,  closed; 
and  a  hostility  commenced,  which  necessarily  involved 
their  kingdoms.  Murray  had  not  been  idle,  during 
the  hymenial  festivities  of  his  sister.  He  wrote  to 
the  Earl  of  Bedford,  to  "  crave  his  comfort,  as  of  one 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


113 


to  whom  God  had  granted  to  know  the  subtle  devices 
of  Satan,  against  the  innocent  professors  of  the  gos- 
pel, to  stir  up  the  powers  of  the  world  against  the 
same."  Randolph  urged  Elizabeth  to  aid  Murray, 
"unless  she  wished  to  see  Protestantism,  and  the 
English  party  in  Scotland,  fall  together."  She  had 
said  to  the  revolutionists,  "  Keep  your  sovereign  by 
all  lav/ful  means  from  doing  wrong,  and  you  shall 
have  all  the  hel]3  which  I  can  give  you,  but  it  is  no 
part  of  a  subject's  duty  to  oppose  her  by  force."  Tlie 
assistance  offered  was  scarcely  more  than  a  small  sum 
of  money,  leaving  the  insurgents  to  their  own  resour- 
ces. Meanwhile,  the  bride  and  bridegroom  hastened 
preparations  for  the  campaign.  In  the  capital,  "  the 
swash,  the  taborin  and  the  drum,  were  stricken  through 
the  streets,  to  raise  recruits  for  the  army." 

Mary  marched  forth  to  meet  the  enemy.  Darnley 
rode  by  her  side  in  "gilded  armor,"  —  Earl  of  Lennox 
lead  the  army.  Chancellor  Morton  commanded  the 
centre,  and  the  King  and  Queen,  attended  by  Parson 
Balfour,  David  Pizzio,  and  another  Italian  musician, 
brought  up  the  rear.  This  force  moved  so  rapidly 
against  Murray,  that  he  was  compelled  to  fly  from 
Stirling  to  Glasgow,  and  thence  into  the  domain  of 
his  ally,  the  Earl  of  Argyle.  Mary  sent  back  the 
English  Envoy,  Tamv/orth,  dispatched  by  Elizabeth 
with  a  "  haughty  message,"  who,  leaving  a  spirited 
reply,  was  intercepted  by  a  band,  because  he  refused 
to  acknowledge  Darnley,  King,  and  carried  a  prisoner 
to  Hume  Castle.  The  fugitive  Peformers  had  no  al- 
ternative, but  to  collect  their  available  strength,  and 

8 


ll-i  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

inarch  to  Edinburgh,  the  metropolis  of  the  realm,  and 
the  strong-hold  of  Protestantism.  A7ith  a  thousand 
men  Murray  reached  the  capital,  expecting  a  general 
uprising  of  the  people.  To  his  amazement,  there  was 
no  sympathy  displayed ;  none  came  to  his  standard, 
and  his  ranks  were  fired  upon  by  the  ordnance  of  the 
castle.  The  citizens,  whatever  their  opposition  to 
Catholicism,  were  not  prepared  to  rise  in  rebellion 
against  their  beautiful  Queen. 

Another  appeal  was  made  by  the  party  in  revolt  to 
Cecil,  the  Queen's  adviser,  and  Earl  of  Bedford,  who 
commanded  the  English  army  on  the  frontier,  for 
three  thousand  men,  and  ships  of  war,  to  cruise  in  the 
Forth.  Elizabeth  delayed,  and  Mary  improved  the 
time.  She  assembled  a  force  of  ten  thousand  men, 
and  swept  Murray's  adherents  from  Edinburgh,  like 
leaves  in  the  hurricane's  path.  She  then  marched 
into  the  county  of  Fife,  and  taught  sudmission  to  the 
offending  barons.  Her  perfect  form  on  a  dashing 
charger,  with  pistols  at  her  saddle  bow,  and  a  glow  of 
intense  excitement  on  her  lovely  face,  made  the  Queen 
of  Scots  a  strangely  fascinating  object,  amid  the  evo- 
lutions of  a  conquering  host.  But  there  were  stormy 
passions  beneath  that  surface  so  radiant  with  beauty. 
Pursuing  to  Dumfries  the  departed  Earl  of  Murray, 
retreating  toward  the  English  border,  she  declared  to 
Randolph  that  she  would  rather  peril  her  crown  than 
lose  her  revenge. 

Leaving  her  routed  foe,  she  communicated  in  a  let- 
ter to  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow,  in  France,  her 
plans,  and  view  of  the  civil  war. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


115 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  AKCIIBISIIOP  OF  GLASGOW. 

"  From  Lislebourg,  1st  October,  15G5. 

"  Monsieur  de  Glascow :  I  am  greatly  astonished  ; 
for  a  very  long  time  I  have  received  no  tidings  from 
you,  not  even  Mauvissierc,  who  calls  himself  am- 
bassador from  the  King.  I  beg  you  will  let  me  hear 
oftener  from  you.  As  for  any  news  here,  you  must 
know  that  Mauvissiere  was  commissioned  to  treat 
preliminarily  between  me  and  the  Queen,  my  neigh- 
bor. Tliis  I  willingly  agree  to ;  but  as  to  treating 
with  my  subjects,  having  conducted  themselves  as 
they  have  done,  I  had  rather  lose  all. 

"  Kow,  I  am  sure,  you  must  have  heard  enough  upon 
this  subject  from  your  brother,  and  since,  from  dial 
mer :  and  there  is  nothing  of  very  recent  occurrence, 
but  that  they  are  getting  worse  and  w^orse,  and  are 
now  at  Dumfries,  where  they  have  resolved  to  stay 
until  I  leave  this  place,  which  will  be  to-morrow,  and 
then  they  w^ill  go,  as  I  am  informed,  to  Annan,  which 
they  propose  to  defend  against  me  w^ith  the  aid  of 
three  hundred  English  arquebusiers  of  the  garrison 
of  England :  and  they  boast  that  they  shall  receive 
more  succors,  both  by  sea  and  land,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  make  head  against  our  army,  which  is  to  set  out 
to-morrow,  or  the  next  day  at  the  latest,  and  with 
which  the  King  and  I  intend  to  go  in  person,  hoping 
that,  the  time  of  the  proclamation  having  expired,  we 
shall  retire  and  give  them  time  to  wait  for  the  army 
of  the  Queen  of  England,  which  is  to  be  ready  next 
spring.  Urge  the  Queen  as  often  as  you  can,  and  by 
all  the  means  in  your  power,  to  send  us  men  and  mon- 


116 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ey  in  tins  emergency,  and  tlien  write  forthwith  what 
I  have  to  hope  for :  and  beware,  above  all  things,  of 
exciting  the  jealousy  of  a  certain  person  whom  you 
know,  and  with  whom  you  must  privately  use  the 
like  persuasions.  Something  was  known  at  court 
about  your  dealings  with  Bay. 

"I  shall  write  you  more  fully  on  the  first  opportu- 
nity ;  but  above  all,  keep  a  good  look-out,  and  see  if 
my  rebels  hold  any  secret  communication  over  there 
with  the  Protestants,  or  Cliatillon  ;  and  if  the  Duke 
and  Earl  of  Murray  have  any  agent  about  the  Queen, 
wdiom  you  may  assure  that  they  have  full  liberty  of 
conscience,  and  that  this  is  not  the  motive  which  influ- 
ences them,  nor  the  public  welfare  ;  for  I  have  made 
no  changes  in  the  order  of  things  to  which  they  have 
themselves  consented ;  and  if  they  were  not  at  the 
council,  it  has  been  because  I  never  could  get  them 
to  come  to  it  after  my  marriage,  except  a  few,  who, 
after  taking  part  against  them,  subsequently  went 
over  to  their  side,  which  they  now  begin  to  repent  of, 
and  among  others  the  duke  and  Gudo,  .  .  .  who 
have  sent  me  word  to  that  effect. 

"  Yesterday,  Dromleveriel  and  Lowener  sent  to  me 
to  beg  pardon,  saying  they  would  serve  us,  assuring 
me  they  had  forsaken  them,  finding  their  intentions 
so  different  from  what  they  represented.  The  traitor 
Maxwell  is  deeply  ashamed  of  having  so  basely  bro- 
ken his  faith  with  me  ;  he  does  not  appear  disposed 
to  send  his  son  to  England  as  an  hostage,  not  having 
forgotten  how  his  last  was  treated ;  this  he  sent  me 
word  himself.    In  short,  when  England  perceives  that 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


117 


we  have  ever  so  little  succor  to  hope  for,  they  will 
draw  hack,  I  should  think,  from  seeing  those  people 
so  disheartened.  You  will  see  the  memorandum 
which  1  have  given  to  the  bearer,  of  what  he  is  to 
sav  to  the  king,  instead  of  instructions.  Tell  me  how 
he  acquits  himself  of  his  commission,  for  I  assure  you 
he  is  more  English  than  Scotch.  Here  I  conclude, 
praying  God  to  grant  you  a  happy  and  long  life. 
"Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"  Maey  E." 

She  expressed  her  estimate  of  the  rebels  fully,  in  a 
proclamation  issued  at  this  crisis  of  aifairs. 

"  Certain  rebels,  the  authors  of  this  uproar  lately 
raised  uj)  against  us,  have  given  the  people  to  under 
stand  that  the  quarrel  they  have  in  hand  is  only  reli- 
gion, thinking  with  that  cloak  to  cover  their  ungodly 
designs,  and  to  draw  after  them  a  large  train  of  igno- 
rant persons,  easy  to  be  seduced  Their 

ambition  could  not  be  satisfied  with  heaping 'riches 
upon  riches,  and  honor  upon  honor,  unless  they  retain 
in  their  hands,  us,  and  our  whole  realm,  to  be  led, 
used,  and  disposed  at  their  pleasure.  "We  must  be 
forced  to  govern  by  counsel,  such  as  it  shall  please 
them  to  appoint  us  —  and  what  other  thing  is  this, 
but  to  dissolve  the  whole  policy,  and  (in  a  manner) 
to  invert  the  very  order  of  nature,  to  make  the  prince 
obey,  and  subjects  command.  The  like  was  never 
demanded  by  any  of  our  most  noble  progenitors  liere- 
tofore,  yea,  not  of  governors  and  regents.  When  we, 
ourselves,  were  of  less  age,  and  at  our  first  returning 


118 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


into  this,  our  realm,  we  had  free  choice  of  our  coun- 
cil at  our  pleasure,  and  now,  when  we  are  at  our  full 
maturity,  shall  we  be  brought  back  to  the  state  of 
pupils,  and  be  put  under  tutory  ?  This  is  the  quarrel 
of  religion  they  made  you  believe  they  had  in  hand ; 
this  is  the  quarrel  for  which  they  w^ould  have  you 
hazard  your  lands,  lives,  and  goods,  in  the  company 
of  a  certain  number  of  rebels,  against  your  natural 
prince.  To  speak  in  good  (plain)  language,  they 
would  be  kings  themselves,  or  at  the  least,  leaving  to 
us  the  bare  name  and  title,  and  take  to  themselves  the 
credit  and  whole  administration  of  the  kingdom." 

She  concluded  w^ith  a  promise  of  security  to  their 
possessions,  and  liberty  of  conscience,  on  condition 
of  loyalty  to  their  sovereign.  A  final  entreaty  was 
sent  by  the  insurgents  to  Elizabeth,  to  save  the  im- 
periled church,  and  deliver  the  persecuted,  who  were 
exposed  to  Mary's  displeasure,  they  affirmed,  through 
the  baneful  influence  of  Rizzio  and  Darnley,  both 
foreigners,  assuming  without  right  or  the  consent  of 
the  people,  authority  in  the  cabinet  and  over  the 
kingdom.  She  had  ordered  troops  and  money  to  be 
placed  at  the  command  of  Murray ;  but  a  few  days 
later,  hearing  of  his  defeat,  countermanded  the  order 
and  abandoned  the  cause,  with  an  expression  of  live- 
ly sympathy.  The  English  Queen  was  cautious  and 
artful,  with  a  steady  eye  upon  the  glory  of  her  realm, 
and  the  proud  distinction  of  reigning  alone. 

Mary  Stuart  having  gained  the  ascendency,  no  lon- 
ger disguised  her  wishes  and  plans.  Under  the  di- 
rection of  her  secretary,  Rizzio,  she  began  to  plot  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


119 


restoration  of  the  Homisli  faith.  Darnley  united  with 
her  in  an  application  to  Philip  II.,  of  Spain,  and  the 
Pope,  for  aid  in  the  undertaking,  justifying  their 
cause  by  the  applications  made  already  to  Elizabeth. 
Iler  letter  to  Philip  discloses  her  intentions. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  KING  PHILIP  II. 

*'  To  the  King  of  Spain. 

''Monsieur  my  good  brother — the  interest  which 
you  have  always  taken  in  the  maintenance  and  sup- 
port of  our  Catholic  religion,  induced  me  some  time 
since  to  solicit  your  favor  and  assistance,  as  I  foresaw 
what  has  now  taken  place  in  the  kingdom,  and  which 
tends  to  the  utter  ruin  of  the  Catholics,  and  to  the 
establishment  of  those  unfortunate  errors,  which,  were 
I  and  the  King  my  husband  to  oppose,  we  should  be 
in  danger  of  losing  our  crown,  as  well  as  all  pre- 
tensions we  have  elsewhere,  unless  we  are  aided  by 
one  of  the  great  princes  of  Christendom. 

"  Having  duly  considered  this,  as  likewise  the  con- 
stancy you  have  displayed  in  your  kingdoms,  and 
with  what  firmness  you  have  supported,  more  than 
any  other  prince,  those  who  have  depended  on  your 
favor,  we  have  determined  upon  addressing  ourselves 
to  you,  in  preference  to  any  other,  to  solicit  your  ad- 
vice, and  to  strengthen  ourselves  with  your  aid  and 
support.  To  obtain  this,  we  have  dispatched  to  you 
this  English  gentleman,  a  Catholic,  and  a  faithful  ser- 
vant of  the  King,  my  husband,  and  of  myself,  with 
ample  directions  to  give  you  an  account  of  the  state 
of  our  affairs,  which  he  is  well  acquainted  with ;  and 


120 


MART    QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


we  beg  yon  to  believe  him  as  yon  would  do  ourselves, 
and  to  send  liim  back  as  soon  as  possible  ;  for  occa- 
sions are  so  nrgent,  that  it  is  of  importance  both  for 
the  crown  and  the  liberty  of  the  church ;  to  maintain 
which  we  will  risk  our  lives  and  our  kingdom,  pro- 
vided we  are  assured  of  your  assistance  and  advice. 

"  After  kissing  your  hands,  I  pray  God  to  give  you, 
monsieur  my  good  brother,  every  prosperity  and  feli 
city.  Your  very  good  sister, 

"Mart  E." 

Tliis  monarch,  who  was  th  e  royal  head  of  Papacy  in 
Europe,  sent,  in  reply  to  her  solicitation,  twenty  thou- 
sand crowns,  and  wrote  to  the  Pope,  wdio  added  eight 
thousand  more.  This  pontiff  expressed  his  regrets  that 
he  could  not  then  offer  any  other  assistance,  and  also 
said  that  the  hope  of  asserting,  by  armed  force,  Mary's 
right  of  succession  to  the  throne  of  England  must  not 
be  renounced,  and  gives  the  reason:  "This  project 
concerns  the  cause  of  God,  which  is  mentioned  by  the 
Queen  of  Scotland,  since  it  is  evidently  the  only  door 
by  which  religion  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Eng- 
land, for  all  others  are  now  shut." 

Refusing  mediation  offered  by  Castelnau  de  Mau- 
vissiere,  the  French  ambassador,  affirming  in  a  proud 
speech,  "  I  would  rather  lose  all  than  treat  with  my 
subjects,"  she  a  third  time,  October  9th,  accompa- 
nied by  Bothwell  and  Huntley,  marched  with  about 
twelve  thousand  men  toward  Dumfries,  to  expel  the 
remnant  of  the  revolutionary  party.  Murray's  small 
force  was  routed  at  the  first  onset,  and  he  fled  into 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


121 


England  on  the  14tli  of  the  same  month.  Tlie  Queen 
of  Scots  was  victorious,  and  in  tlie  giddiness  of  ele- 
vation, she  resorted  to  vengeance.  She  determined 
to  condemn  as  traitors  the  rebel  lords,  and  with  the 
sympathy  of  the  English  Catholics,  she  thought  to 
make  even  the  haughty  Elizabeth  repent  of  whatever 
encouragement  she  had  given  the  insurgents.  She 
incautiously  remarked  to  some  of  her  nobles,  who 
expressed  a  fear  that  her  continual  riding  and  much 
exposure  to  storms,  would  prove  exhausting  —  "  That 
she  would  never  cease  to  continue  in  such  fatigues, 
until  she  had  led  them  into  London."  Her  tone  be- 
came dictatorial  to  Elizabeth,  who  in  turn  was  sur- 
prised and  perplexed.  The  Spanish  and  French 
ambassadors  at  her  court,  increased  her  embarrass- 
ment by  defending  Mary's  interests.  Elizabeth  col- 
lected troops  on  the  frontier,  and  summoned  promi- 
nent Catholic  nobles  in  council,  the  real  motive  of 
which  was,  apprehension  that  they  were  favorable  to 
the  designs  of  her  now  resolute  and  enthusiastic  rival. 
To  calm  Mary's  displeasure,  she  also  affected  indig- 
nation towards  Murray,  and  made  him  publicly  deny 
that  he  had  received  the  least  aid  from  her  in  the  re- 
bellion. Then  addressing  him  in  the  presence  of  the 
French  ambassador,  she  said,  angrily : 

It  is  well  that  you  have  told  the  truth  ;  for  neither 
did  I,  nor  any  one  else  in  my  name,  ever  encourage 
j  you  in  your  unnatural  rebellion  against  your  sover- 
eign ;  nor,  to  be  mistress  of  a  world,  could  I  main- 
tain any  subject  in  disobedience  to  his  prince  ;  it 
might  move  God  to  punish  me  by  a  similar  trouble 
F 


122 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


in  my  own  realm  ;  but  as  for  you  two,  ye  are  unwor- 
thy traitors,  and  I  command  you  instantly  to  leave 
my  presence." 

There  is  a  consistency  in  this  with  the  rule  Eliza- 
beth had  before  given,  in  respect  to  the  duty  of  sub- 
jects. It  is  not  certain  that  she  favored  the  uprising 
of  the  people  as  designed  by  Murray,  however  she 
desired  to  prevent  a  marriage  she  disliked,  or  feared 
Mary's  pretensions.  Tlie  Queen  of  Scots  w^as  advised 
to  be  merciful  to  her  foes,  as  a  matter  of  policy  at 
least,  to  increase  her  power,  and  avoid  occasion  of  fur- 
ther complaint  with  Elizabeth.  But  passion  ruled  the 
sovereign^  and  following  tlie  advice  of  her  foreign 
relatives,  she  planned  the  death  of  offenders,  by  con- 
demnation, at  the  meeting  of  the  next  Parliament. 

David  Rizzio,  since  he  came  to  Mary's  court,  in 
1562,  in  the  suite  of  the  Count  of  Moretto,  the  Savoy 
ambassador,  had  been  gaining  ascendency  over  the 
Queen.  From  the  office  of  valet,  he  rose  to  that  of 
private  secretary  in  1564,  on  the  removal  of  Eaulet. 
He  was  now  at  the  zenith  of  influence  in  the  palace. 
"  The  greater  part  of  the  affiiirs  of  the  kingdom  passed 
through  his  hands.  He  managed  them  with  so  much 
prudence,  and  brought  them  to  so  satisfactory  a  con- 
clusion, that  he  was  greatly  beloved  by  her  majesty." 
Gorgeous  in  equipage  and  style  of  living,  flattered 
and  caressed,  he  became  haughty  and  presumptuous. 
Mary's  reputation  was  injured  by  his  singular  influ- 
ence and  royal  living.  Elizabeth,  complaining  of 
Murray's  presumption,  said,  "  That  it  was  all  owing 
to  an  Italian  named  David,  whom  the  Queen  of  Scot- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS 


123 


land  loyecl  and  favored,  and  granted  more  credit  and 
authority  tlian  were  authorized  by  her  affairs  and 
honor." 

Rizzio  was  in  the  pay  of  the  Pope,  and  nrged  Mary 
to  severity  towards  the  rebels.  Darnley  meanwhile 
had  been  losing  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the 
Queen.  Sir  William  Drury  wrote  to  Secretary  Cecil, 
in  the  following  strain  : 

"  All  people  say  that  Darnley  is  too  much  addicted 
to  drinking.  'Tis  certainly  reported  there  was  some 
jar  betwixt  the  Queen  and  him,  at  an  entertainment 
in  a  merchant's  house  in  Edinburgh,  she  only  dis- 
suaded him  from  drinking  too  much  himself,  and  en- 
ticing others  ;  in  both  which  he  proceeded,  and  gave 
her  such  words  that  she  left  the  place  with  tears ; 
which  they  that  are  known  to  their  proceedings,  say 
is  not  strange  to  be  seen.  These  jars  arise,  amongst 
other  things,  from  his  seeking  the  matrimonial  crown, 
which  she  will  not  yield  unto  ;  the  calling  in  of  the 
coin,  wherein  they  were  both,  and  the  duke's  (of  Cha- 
tellerault)  finding  so  favorable  address  ;  which  hath 
much  displeased  both  him  and  his  father.  Darnley 
is  in  great  misliking  with  the  Queen  ;  she  is  very 
weary  of  him  ;  and,  as  some  judge,  will  be  more  so 
ere  long  ;  for  true  it  is,  that  those  who  depend  wholly 
upon  him,  are  not  liked  of  her  ;  nor  they  that  follow 
her,  of  him  ;  as  David  Rizzio,  and  others  ;  some  say 
she  likes  the  duke  better  now  than  formerly  ;  so  some 
think,  that  if  there  should  be  the  quarrel  betwixt  her 
and  Darnley,  which  she  could  not  appease,  that  she 


124 


MART    QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


will  use  the  duke's  aid  in  that  affair.  Tliere  also  have 
arisen  some  unkind  speeches  about  signing  letters : 
he,  immediately  after  his  marriage,  signing  first, 
which  she  will  not  allow  of  now.  His  government  is 
very  much  blamed,  for  he  is  thought  to  be  wilful  and 
haughty,  and  some  say  vicious ;  whereof  too  many 
were  witnesses,  the  other  day  at  Juchkeith,  v/ith  the 
Lord  Kobert,  Fleming,  and  such  like  grave  j^erson- 
ages." 

Tlie  arrogant  Darnley  had  repeatedly  urged  Mary 
to  confer  upon  him  the  crown  matrimonial ;  that  is 
to  say,  an  equal  share  in  the  government  of  the  realm, 
which  was  granted  to  Francis  11.,  her  first  husband. 
She  steadily  refused  the  request,  because  she  despised 
his  inefficiency,  and  had  lost  whatever  aflection  she 
entertained  for  him  at  an  early  period  of  their  ac- 
quaintance. Tlie  disappointed  Darnley,  jealous  of 
Hizzio's  familiar  friendship  for  Mary,  and  seeing  a 
domestic  war  inevitable,  charged  his  own  failure  and 
her  displeasure  upon  the  Italian  secretary.  He  was 
the  captive  of  ambition,  stimulated  by  that  domoniac 
passion,  which,  "  is  the  rage  of  a  man  ;  therefore  he 
will  not  spare  in  the  day  of  vengeance."  Tlie  purpose 
was  formed,  to  remove  the  hated  object,  and  disclosed 
to  his  cousin  George  Douglas.  He  also  sent  Douglas 
to  confer  with  Lord  Kuthven,  concerning  his  griefs, 
and  plans  of  revenge.  The  assassination  of  Rizzio, 
and  seizing  the  matrimonial  crown^  were  leading  de- 
signs of  the  conspiracy. 

L(>rd  Ruthven  was  an  invalid,  but  after  a  brief 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


125 


visitation,  consented  to  the  plot,  which  was  made 
known  to  Lord  Lindsay  and  Randolph,  The  latter 
wrote  on  the  subject  to  Leicester  ;  from  it  this  passage 
is  quoted : 

I  know  now  for  certain,  that  this  Queen  repenteth 
her  marriage  ;  that  she  hateth  him  (Darnley)  and  all 
his  kin.  I  know  that  he  knoweth  himself  that  he 
hath  a  partaker  in  play  and  game  with  him.  I  know 
that  there  are  practices  in  hand,  contrived  between 
the  father  and  son  to  come  by  the  crown  against  her 
will.  I  know  that  if  that  take  effect  which  is  intend- 
ed, David,  with  the  consent  of  the  King,  shall  have 
his  throat  cut  within  these  ten  days.  Many  things 
grievouser  and  worse  than  these  are  brought  to  my 
ears  ;  yea,  of  things  intended  against  her  own  person, 
which,  because  I  think  better  to  keep  secret  than 
write  to  Mr.  Secretary  (Cecil),  I  speak  not  of  them 
but  now  to  your  lordship." 

Tlie  conspiracy  progressed  secretly,  and  no  suspi- 
cion of  evil  darkened  the  horizon  of  Kizzio's  hopes. 
The  friends  of  Mary  and  Lennox  had  united  against 
Murray  ;  and  now  the  adherents  of  Lennox  sought  a 
coalition  with  the  party  in  revolt,  to  make  the  blow 
aimed  at  the  crown  successful.  Tlie  Earl  of  Morton, 
a  relative  and  warm  friend  of  Murray,  was  a  Protest- 
ant, and  Chancellor  of  the  Kingdom.  Tlie  retaining 
of  his  lucrative  and  honorable  office  was  motive  suffi- 
cient to  induce  him  to  act  as  the  leader  of  the  enter- 
prise.   He  was  equal  to  the  emergency.    "  To  obtain 


126  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

tlie  concurrence  of  the  principal  ministers  and  most 
powerful  persons  of  the  Reformed  party  ;  to  bring  back 
the  exiles,  and  to  restore  to  them  the  authority  which 
they  had  lost ;  to  secure  the  support  of  Elizabeth  and 
her  chief  ministers,  Cecil  and  Leicester ;  to  murder 
liizzio  ;  to  dissolve  the  Parliament,  about  to  be  con- 
voked for  the  purpose  of  legally  consummating  the 
ruin  of  the  fugitive  lords  ;  to  imprison  the  Queen ; 
to  confer  the  nominal  sovereignty  upon  Darnley ;  to 
replace  Murray  at  the  head  of  the  government :  such 
was  the  plan  conceived  by  Morton,  and  adopted  in 
Scotland  by  Lords  Lindsay,  Kuthven,  and  Lethington, 
by  Knox  and  Craig,  the  two  ministers  of  Edinburgh, 
Bellenden,  the  justice-clerk,  Makgill,  the  clerk-regis- 
ter, and  the  lairds  of  Brunston,  Calder,  and  Ormiston. 
The  Earl  of  Lennox  himself  proceeded  to  England  to 
communicate  it  to  Murray,  Rothes,  Glencairn,  Grange, 
and  Ochiltree,  the  father-in-law  of  Knox,  who  readily 
embraced  it,  and  agreed  to  repair  to  the  frontier,  so 
as  to  be  ready  to  return  to  Edinburgh  as  soon  as  the 
plot  had  succeeded." 

This  daring  and  comprehensive  conspiracy  was 
expressed  in  two  solemn  covenants,  embracing  both 
the  King  and  the  instruments  of  his  ambition.  The 
former  set  forth  Darnley's  determination  to  ])Totect 
the  Queen's  honor,  by  seizing  the  abusers  of  her  "gen- 
tle and  good  nature,"  and  with  the  assistance  of  cer- 
tain of  the  nobility  and  others,  if  those  enemies  of 
the  realm  resisted,  "  to  cut  them  off  immediately, 
and  to  slay  them  wherever  it  happened."  The  King 
was  committed  to  the  defence  of  his  confederates  at  all 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  12T 

hazards.  Tlie  latter  obligation  bound  the  actors  in 
the  blood}^  plot,  to  the  support  of  Darnlej  in  his  am- 
bitious schemes  against  all  his  enemies. 

Randolph  and  Earl  of  Bedford  wrote  to  Elizabeth's 
secretary  on  the  6th  of  March,  1566,  a  full  and  most 
confidential  account  of  the  matured  conspiracy. 
They  said ; 

"You  have  heard  of  divers  discords  and  jars  be- 
tween this  Queen  and  her  husband,  partly  for  that 
she  hath  refused  him  the  crown  matrimonial,  partly 
*'  for  that  he  hath  assured  knowledge  of  such  usage  of 
herself,  as  altogether  is  intolerable  to  be  borne,  wdiich 
if  it  were  not  overwell  known,  we  would  both  be  very 
loath  to  think  that  it  could  be  true.  To  take  away 
this  occasion  of  slander,  he  is  himself  determined  to 
be  at  the  apprehension  and  execution  of  him  whom 
he  is  able  manifestly  to  charge  with  the  crime,  and  to 
have  done  him  the  most  dishonor  that  can  be  to  any 
man,  much  more  being  as  he  is. 

"If  persuasions  to  cause  the  Queen  to  yield  to 
these  matters  do  no  good,  they  propose  to  proceed 
we  know  not  in  what  sort.  If  she  be  able  to  make 
any  power  at  home,  she  shall  be  withstood,  and  her- 
self kept  from  all  other  counsel  than  her  own  nobility. 
If  she  seek  any  foreign  support,  the  Queen's  majesty, 
oar  sovereign,  shall  be  sought,  and  sued  unto  to 
accept  his  and  their  defence,  with  offers  reasonable  to 
her  majesty's  contentment.  These  are  the  things 
which  we  thought  and  think  to  be  of  no  small  impor- 


128 


MABY    QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


tance ;  and  knowing  them  certainly  intended,  and 
concluded  upon,  thought  it  our  duties  to  utter  the 
same  to  you,  Mr.  Secretary,  to  make  declaration 
thereof  as  shall  seem  best  to  your  wisdom." 

Elizabeth  offered  no  opposition  to  the  intrigue. 
Mary  was  altogether  in  happy  ignorance  of  it.  She 
had  seen  the  disaffection  of  the  nobility  toward  Riz- 
zio,  and  bitterly  reproached  them  for  a  selfish  refer- 
ence to  their  own  family  glory,  without  regard  to  her 
choice  of  "  a  man  of  low  estate,  poor  in  means,  but 
generous  in  mind,  faithful  in  heart,  and  well  adapted 
to  fill  an  ofiice." 

The  general  fast  of  the  Reformed  church,  which 
had  commenced  March  third,  gathered  to  Edinburgh 
the  principal  clergy  and  laymen,  among  whom  Knox 
and  Craig  preached  on  topics  adapted  to  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  Oreb,  and  Zeeb,  and  Ilaman,  were  held 
up  as  examples  of  divine  justice  falling  upon  the 
heads  of  guilty  princes  and  their  ungodly  favorites. 
The  conspirator  fixed  upon  Saturday  evening,  March 
9th,  for  the  closing  act  of  the  tragedy.  The  fatal  day 
dawned  and  waned  as  usual  in  the  palace,  until  eight 
o'clock,  when  Darnley,  wdio  had  supped  earlier  than 
was  his  custom,  went  by  a  private  staircase  to  Mai-y's 
apartments,  when  she  was  at  tea  with  Lady  Argyle, 
her  sister,  her  brother,  Earl  of  Orkney,  Areskine, 
master  of  her  household,  her  physician,  and  Kizzio. 
The  court-yard  was  thronged  with  armed  men,  and 
the  shout  of  "  A  Douglas  ! — a  Douglas ! "  reached  the 
Queen's  ears  ;  she  was  in  a  delicate  condition,  and 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


129 


trembled  witli  alarm  ;  but  before  she  could  ask  tho 
cause  of  the  outcry,  Euthven,  clad  in  a  suit  of  armor, 
and  ghastly  with  lingering  disease,  broke  into  the 
room.  Mary  recoiled  from  the  spectre ;  the  dying 
conspirator  exclaimed  : 

"Let  it  please  your  majesty  that  yonder  man, 
David,  come  forth  of  your  privy-chamber,  where  he 
hath  been  over  long." 

Tlie  Queen  answered,  ""What  offence  hath  ho 
done?" 

Ruthven  replied,  "That  he  made  a  greater  and 
more  heinous  offence  to  her  majesty's  honor,  the 
King  her  husband,  the  nobility,  and  commonwealth.'' 

"  And  how  ? "  said  she. 

"If  it  would  please  your  majesty,  he  hath  offended 
your  honor,  which  I  dare  not  be  so  bold  as  to  spealv 
of.  As  to  the  King  your  husband's  honor,  he  hath 
hindered  him  of  the  crown  matrimonial,  which  your 
grace  promised  him ;  besides  many  other  things 
which  are  not  necessary  to  be  expressed,  and  hath 
caused  your  majesty  to  banish  a  great  part  of  the  no- 
bility, and  to  forfeit  them,  that  he  might  be  made  a 
lord.  And  to  your  commonwealth  he  hath  been  a 
common  destroyer,  hindring  your  majesty  to  grant  or 
give  anything  but  what  passed  through  his  hands,  by 
taking  of  bribes  for  the  same  ;  and  caused  your  ma- 
jesty to  put  at  the  Lord  Eoss  for  his  whole  land, 
because  he  w^ould  not  give  over  the  lands  of  Melvin 
to  the  said  David,  besides  many  other  inconveniences 
that  he  solicited  your  majesty  to  do."  Tlien  the  Lord 
Ruthven  said  to  the  King,  "  Sir,  take  the  Queen  your 

F*  9 


130 


I^IAEY    QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


wife  and  sovereign  to  you,"  wlio  stood  nil  amazed,  and 
knew  not  what  to  do. 

"  Then  her  majesty  rose  upon  her  feet  and  stood  be- 
fore David,  he  holding  her  majesty  by  the  plaits  of  her 
gown,  leaning  back  over  the  arch  of  the  window,  his 
dagger  drawn  in  his  hand  :  meanwhile,  Arthur  Ares- 
kin,  and  the  Abbot  of  Holyrood-House,  and  the  Lord 
Keith,  master  of  the  household,  w^ith  the  French 
apothecary,  and  one  of  the  chamber,  began  to  lay 
hands  on  the  Lord  Ruthven,  none  of  the  King's  party 
being  there  present.  Then  the  said  Lord  Ruthven 
pulled  out  his  dagger,  and  defended  himself  until 
more  came  in,  and  said  to  them,  '  Lay  no  hands  on 
me,  for  I  will  not  be  handled.'  At  the  coming  in  of 
others  into  the  cabinet,  the  said  Lord  Ruth v en  put 
up  his  dagger,  and  with  the  rushing  in  of  men,  the 
board  fell  into  the  wall,  meat  and  candles  being 
thereon." 

Poor  Rizzio  cried  out  in  broken  language,  "  I  am 
killed  !  "  begging  piteously  for  her  protection.  Amid 
the  awful  confusion,  during  which  the  Queen  fainted, 
the  terrified  secretary  Avas  dragged  through  Mary's 
bed-room  into  the  entrance  of  her  presence  chamber, 
where,  in  spite  of  Morton's  wish  to  keep  him  until  the 
next  day  and  hang  him,  George  Douglas,  seizing  the 
King's  dagger,  stabbed  him,  saying  loudly  that  it  was 
the  royal  blow.  His  comrades  rushed  on,  and  did 
not  leave  the  bleeding  form,  until  it  was  pierced  with 
fifty-six  wounds.  The  body  was  thrown  out  of  the 
window  into  the  court-yard,  and  carried  to  the  por- 
ter's lodge.    Mary,  upon  regaining  her  self-possession, 


MAIiY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


131 


was  aware  from  circumstances  that  attended  the  mur- 
der, of  her  husband's  connection  with  it,  and  indi^^- 
nantly  reproached  him  with  these  words  :  "  My  Lord, 
why  have  you  caused  to  do  this  wicked  deed  to  me, 
considering  tliat  I  took  you  from  low  estate,  and  made 
you  my  husband  ;  what  offence  have  I  given  you  that 
you  should  do  me  such  shame?"  Kuthven  records 
that  he  replied  he  had  good  reason,  for  since  the  Ital- 
ian's familiarity  with  her,  she  had  not  "regarded, 
entertained,  or  trusted  him  after  her  wonted  fashion." 
Mary  replied,  "My  Lord,  all  the  offence *tliat  is  done 
me,  you  have  the  wite  thereof,  for  the  which  I  shall 
be  your  wife  no  longer,  nor  lie  with  you  any  more, 
and  shall  never  like  well  till  I  cause  you  to  have  as 
sorrowful  a  heart  as  I  have  at  this  present." 

After  a  tumult  in  the  palace,  made  by  an  effort  to 
expel  the  King's  party,  Ruthven  left  her  majesty's 
presence,  and  upon  his  return,  she  inquired  after  Riz- 
zio's  fate.  Receiving  no  direct  answer,  the  following 
conversation  transpired,  as  given  by  the  resolute  lord 
who  was  on  the  confines  of  the  grave : 

"  What  offence  or  default  have  I  committed,  to  be 
thus  treated?" 

"  Liquire  of  the  King,  your  husband." 

"^Nay,  I  will  inquire  of  you." 

"Madam,  if  it  would  please  your  majesty  to  re- 
member, that  you  have  for  this  long  time,  a  number 
of  perverse  persons,  and  especially  one  David,  a  stran- 
ger, an  Italian,  who  ruled  and  guided  the  country 
without  advice  of  the  nobility  and  council ;  and  es- 
pecially against  those  peers  that  were  banished." 


132 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


"Were  you  not  one  of  my  council?  Why  would 
you  not  declare,  if  I  did  aught  amiss  ?  " 

"Because  your  majesty  would  not  listen,  in  all  the 
time  your  majesty  ^y^^s  at  Dumfries,  but  whenever 
you  called  your  council  together,  did  things  by  your- 
self, and  your  privy  persons :  albeit,  your  nobility 
suffer  the  pains  and  expense." 

"  Well,  you  find  great  fault  with  me ;  I  will  be 
content  to  set  down  my  crown  before  the  lords  of  the 
articles,*  and  if  they  find  that  I  have  offended,  to 
give  it  where  they  please." 

God  forbid,  madam ;  but  w^ho  chose  the  said  lords 
of  the  articles? " 

"  iS^t  1." 

"Saving  youi  jiajesty's  reverence,  you  chose  them 
all  in  Seaton,  and  nominated  them ;  and  as  for  your 
majesty's  council,  it  hath  been  suffered  to  wait  full 
long :  and  what  was  done,  it  behooved  them  to  say  it 
was  your  majesty's  pleasure,  and  the  lords  of  the 
articles.  Your  majesty  first  chose  such  as  would  say 
whatsoever  you  thought ;  and  now,  when  th  e  lords 
of  the  articles  have  sitten  certain  days,  reasoning  if 
they  could  find  any  principal  cause  why  they  should 
be  forfeited  ?  No,  madam,  not  so  much  as  one  point, 
except  false  witness,  be  brought  against  them." 

*  The  Lords  of  Articles  prepared  all  the  matters  which  were  to 
be  laid  before  Parliament;  and  they  not  onl}'  directed  its  pro- 
ceedings, but  possessed  a  negative  before  debate.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  a  Scottish  Parliament  consisted  of  great  barons, 
ecclesiastics,  and  a  few  representatives  of  boroughs;  they  com- 
posed but  one  Assembl}',  over  which  the  Lord  Chancellor  presided. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


133 


Darnlej  sent  forth  a  proclamation  to  the  inaf^'is- 
trates  of  the  city,  that  Protestants  alone  should  be 
allowed  to  leave  their  houses  ;  and  the  next  day  dis- 
charged the  Parliament.  The  night  following  the 
murder,  which  deprived  Mary  of  a  devoted  and  val- 
uable servant,  shook  her  sceptre,  and  wounded  her 
honor,  was  one  of  extreme  agony.  The  pale  and  per- 
fect features  of  the  beauty  were  bathed  in  tears  du- 
ring the  silence  of  midnight,  while  the  victim  of  her 
partiality  was  in  a  dreamless  sleep — "  life's  fitful  fever" 
over.  Mary  was  virtually  a  prisoner  in  her  palace 
—  had  entered  the  penuinhra  of  the  total  eclipse, 
which,  with  delusive  preludes  of  brightness,  would 
soon  bring  "  the  days  of  darkness." 

Ruthven's  •  savage  manner  awakened  Mary's  fears 
for  her  own  safety,  and  unexpectedly  seeing  Melvil, 
she  desired  him  to  apprize  Murray  that  he  would  be 
freely  pardoned,  on  the  condition  of  protecting  her 
life  and  liberty. 

The  Earls  of  Huntley  and  Bothwell,  hearing  of 
Murray's  expected  return,  and  apprehending  danger 
to  themselves,  escaped  from  the  window^s  of  the  pal- 
ace by  means  of  a  cord,  wdiich  let  them  down  into 
the  open  fields.  Other  lords  who  were  at  Hol^^rood, 
followed  the  example,  and  fled.  Mary  placed  her 
hope  of  deliverance  mainly  in  Darnley,  who  at  length 
sought  her  presence.  Finding  her  calm  amid  all  the 
fierce  agitation  around  her,  he  related  the  particu- 
lars of  the  successful  conspiracy.  The  following  is 
the  Queen's  record  of  the  closing  scenes  described : 

"  After  this  deed,  the  said  Lord  Ruthven,  coming 


134: 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


again  in  our  presence,  declared  liow  they  and  tlieir ' 
acconi2>lices  were  higlilj  offended  with  our  proceedings 
and  tyranny,  which  was  not  to  them  tolerable;  how 
lie  was  abused  by  the  said  David,  whom  they  had 
actually  put  to  death  ;  namely,  in  taking  his  counsel 
for  maintenance  of  the  ancient  religion ;  debarring 
the  lords  who  were  fugitive,  and  entertaining  amity 
with  foreign  princes ;  putting,  also,  upon  counsel  the 
Lords  Both  well  and  Huntley,  w4io  w^ere  traitors,  and 
w^ith  whom  he  associated  himself;  that  the  lords  ban- 
ished in  England  were  that  morn  to  resort  to  us,  and 
would  take  plain  part  with  them  in  our  controversy,  and 
that  the  King  was  willing  to  remit  them  their  offences. 
"We  all  this  time  took  no  less  care  of  ourselves,  than 
for  our  council  and  nobility,  to  wit,  the  Earls  Huntley, 
Bothwell,  Atliol,  Lords  Fleming  and  Livingston,  Sir 
James  Balfour,  and  certain  others,  our  familiar  servi- 
tors, against  whom  the  enterj)rise  w^as  conspier,  as 
well  as  for  David  :  and,  namely,  to  have  hanged  Sir 
James ;  yet,  by  the  providence  of  God,  the  Earls  of 
Bothwell  and  Huntley  escaped  at  a  back  window  by 
some  cords ;  the  conspirators  took  some  fear,  and 
thought  themselves  disappointed  in  their  enterprise. 
The  Earl  of  Athol  and  Sir  J ames  Balfour,  by  some 
other  means,  w^th  the  Lords  Fleming  and  Livingston, 
obtained  deliverance.  The  provost  and  town  of  Ed- 
inburgh having  understood  this  tumult  in  our  palace, 
caused  to  ring  their  common  bell,  came  to  us  in  great 
number,  and  desired  to  have  seen  our  presence,  and 
communed  with  us  ;  and  to  have  known  our  welfare; 
to  whom  we  were  not  permitted  to  give  answer,  being 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


135 


extremely  boasted  by  tlieir  lords,  "svho  in  onr  face 
declared,  if  we  desired  to  have  spoken  tliem,  they 
should  cut  lis  in  collops,  and  cast  lis  over  the  walls. 
Our  brother,  the  Earl  of  Murray,  that  same  day  at 
even,  accompanied  by  the  Earl  of  Rothes,  Pitarrow, 
Grange,  and  others,  came  to  us,  and  seeing  our  state, 
was  moved  with  natural  affection  towards  us ;  upon 
the  morn  he  assembled  the  enterprizers  of  the  late 
crime,  and  such  of  our  rebels  as  came  ^vith  him.  In 
their  council  they  thought  it  most  expedient  that  we 
should  be  warded  in  our  Castle  of  Stirling,  there  to 
remain  till  w^e  had  approved,  in  Parliament,  all  their 
wicked  enterprizes,  established  their  religion,  and  giv- 
en to  the  King  the  crown  matrimonial  and  the  whole 
government  of  our  realm,  or  else,  by  all  appearance 
prepared  to  put  us  to  death,  or  detain  us  in  perpetual 
captivity." 

AYhen  Murray  entered  Mary's  apartment,  she  em- 
braced him,  and  weeping,  said,  "  Had  you  been  here, 
I  should  not  have  been  so  treated."  He  was  moved 
to  tears,  and  taking  her  arm,  while  Darnley  walked 
also  in  company,  she  discoursed  of  her  sorrows.  Of 
the  result  of  an  interview  with  the  apparently  repen- 
tant King,  she  writes :  "  We  declared  our  state  to  the 
King,  our  husband,  certifying  him  how  miserably  he 
would  be  handled  if  he  permitted  the  lords  to  pre- 
vail ;  and  how  unacceptable  it  would  be  to  other 
princes,  our  confederates,  in  case  he  altered  the  reli- 
gion. By  this  persuasion  he  was  induced  to  conde- 
scend to  the  purpose  taken  by  us,  and  to  retire  to 
Dunbar.    "We  being  minded  to  have  gotten  ourselves 


136  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


relieved  of  this  detention,  desired  Earls  of  Botliwell 
and  Huntley  to  have  prepared  some  way  whereby  we 
might  have  escaped  ;  who,  not  doubting  therein  at 
least,  taking  no  regard  to  hazard  their  lives  in  that 
behalf,  desired  that  w^e  should  have  come  over  the 
walls  of  our  palace  in  the  night,  upon  chairs,  which 
they  had  in  readiness  to  that  effect  soon  after." 

Thus,  Darnley,  after  having  opened  the  series  ot 
royal  treacheries  and  scenes  of  bloodshed,  and  grasp- 
ed the  reins  of  authority,  in  his  weakness,  yielded  to 
the  grief  of  the  fascinating  captive.  With  mutual 
confessions,  Darnley  was  reconciled,  the  Queen  for- 
giving, and  the  conspirators  abandoned.  His  next 
move  was  to  effect  her  escape.  He  informed  his  de- 
voted associates  th^t  the  Queen  was  attacked  with  a 
fever,  which  required  a  change  of  air ;  at  the  same 
time  expressing  her  readiness  to  pardon  them  for  past 
offences.  They  were  suspicious  of  the  design,  and 
cautioned  Darnley.  But  he  repeated  his  confidence 
in  her  honor.  She  wished  them  to  prepare  articles 
of  security,  which  she  would  sign.  Having  no  better 
alternative,  they  complied ;  and  at  midnight,  March 
11th,  Mury  Stuart,  Darnley,  and  Arthur  Erskine,  her 
captain  of  the  guard,  fled  from  Holyrood,  and  dash- 
ed away  on  fleet  horses  to  the  Castle  of  Dunbar.  It 
was  an  ominous  night;  that  Queen,  her  subdued  yet 
haughty  husband,  and  a  single  guard,  flying  in  the 
stillness  and  gloom  of  night  from  the  walls,  within 
which  stood  a  vacant  throne ! 

Upon  her  arrival  at  Dunbar,  she  issued  the  sum 
mons  to  her  nobility  to  meet  her  arms.    The  conspir- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


137 


ators  had  discovered  that  the  articles  of  safety  were 
left  without  her  signature,  and  dispatched  Lord  Tem- 
ple to  demand  a  fulfillment  of  her  pledge.  He  waited 
three  days  for  an  answer,  during  which  she  had  assem- 
hled  an  army  collected  by  Bothwell,  Huntley,  and  oth- 
ers. On  the  16th  she  issued  a  proclamation,  denouncing 
the  leaders  in  the  late  sanguinary  transactions,  and  to 
strengthen  her  cause,  conciliated  Murray,  Argyle, 
Glencairn  and  Rothes,  on  condition  of  refusing  any 
sympathy  with  the  murderers  of  the  secretary.  The 
objects  of  her  hate,  the  hunted  rebels,  were  Morton, 
Ruthven,  Lindsay,  George  Douglas,  Andrew  Ker  of 
Fandonside,  and  sixty-five  other  lairds  or  gentlemen, 
whom  she  ordered  to  appear,  and  answer  for  their 
crime.  She  then  marched  upon  the  capital,  where 
they  were.  On  her  approach,  they  escaped  to  Eng- 
land, and  she  once  more  entered  the  city  of  an  out- 
rage, which  had  kindled  a  glow  of  vengeance  in  her 
passionate  heart.  The  Earl  of  Lennox  was  forbidden 
to  appear  at  her  court ;  Lethington  was  deprived  of 
ofiice  ;  Joseph  Rizzio,  brother  of  David,  was  appoint- 
ed private  secretary  ;  honors  w^ere  paid  to  the  dead  ; 
and  the  accessories  of  the  murder,  guards  of  the 
gates,  and  other  subalterns,  were  condemned  to  death. 
Her  intense  fervor  of  revenge  reached  some  who  were 
wholly  unconnected  with  the  assassination.  Darn- 
ley  was  C04iipelied  to  deny  any  interest  in  the  con- 
spiracy, by  a  public  declaration,  in  which  he  speaks 
of  the  wicked  persons  who  had  implicated  him  in 
"  the  late  cruel  murder,  committed  in  presence  of  the 
Queen's  majesty,  and  treasonable  detaining  of  her 


138 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


majesty's  most  noble  person  in  captivity."  "  Hii 
grace,"  he  added,  "  for  the  removing  of  the  evil  ojDiu- 
ion  wliich  the  good  subjects  may  be  induced  to  con- 
ceive, through  suchMse  reports  and  seditious  rumors, 
hath,  as  well  to  the  Queen's  majesty  as  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  lords  of  secret  council,  plainly  declared 
upon  his  honor,  fidelity,  and  the  word  of  a  prince, 
that  he  never  knew  of  any  part  of  the  said  treasona- 
able  conspiracy  whereof  he  is  slanderously  and  falsely 
accused,  nor  never  counseled,  commanded,  consented, 
assisted,  nor  approved  the  same." 

Ilis  accomplices  were  naturally  enough  fired  with 
indiguation  at  his  treachery.  To  have  incited  them 
to  hazard  all  for  the  augmenting  of  his  power,  and  to 
gratify  his  jealousy,  and  then  betraying  them  cooly  to 
the  wrath  of  the  injured  sovereign,  was  treason  below 
the  ambition  of  a  demon.  They  turned  upon  the 
traitor,  by  transmitting  to  Mary  the  bonds  which  he 
had  signed^  in  contemplation  of  securing  the  matri- 
monial crown,  and  dispatching  Rizzio.  These  cove- 
nants dispelled  all  doubt  on  the  Queen's  mind  res- 
pecting tlie  deliberate,  premeditated  guilt  of  her  hus- 
band, and  opened  a  gulf  of  impassable  alienation  and 
disgust  between  her  and  himself.  She  despised  him 
as  a  base  conspirator,  a  coward,  and  a  liar. 

Melvil  records  in  his  memoirs:  "The  Queen  la- 
mented unto  me  the  King's  folly,  ingratitude,  and 
misbehavior  ;  I  excused  the  same  the  best  I  could, 
imputing  it  to  his  youth,  which  occasioned  him  to  be 
easily  led  away  by  pernicious  counsel,  laying  the 
blame  upon  George  Douglas,  and  other  bad  counsel- 


MARY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


139 


lors ;  praying  her  majesty,  for  many  necessary  con- 
sidei'ations,  to  remove  out  of  her  mind  any  prejudice 
against  him,  seeing  that  she  had  chosen  him  lierself 
against  the  opinion  of  many  of  her  subjects.  But  I 
could  perceive  nothing  from  that  day  forth  but  great 
ffrudo-es  that  she  entertained  in  her  heart." 

Mary's  hatred  to  Darnley,  appeared  in  gradually  ex- 
cluding  him  from  all  participation  in  public  affairs, 
and  entrusting  responsible  offices  to  Earl  of  Bothwell, 
Huntly,  Athol,  and  the  Bishop  of  Ross  ;  transferring 
with  undissembled  designs,  his  honors  and  powers  to 
her  favorites. 

As  the  time  of  her  confinement  approached,  the 
Queen,  suspicious,  because  of  former  plots  against 
her,  that  unexpected  advantage  might  be  taken  of  her 
condition,  removed  to  Stirling  Castle — -where,  while 
a  child,  she  was  crowned  —  to  become  a  mother — 
responsibility  and  honor,  transcending  the  diadem  of 
royalty.  On  the  19th  of  June,  1566,  between  nine 
and  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  was  born  a  son,  whose 
brow  was  destined  to  wear  the  united  crowns  of  the 
rival  sovereigns.  Melvil  was  immediately  dispatched 
to  Elizabeth,  to  announce  the  event,  and  request  her 
"  to  act  as  godmother  to  the  Prince  of  Scotland." 
Tlie  English  Queen  was  in  the  midst  of  a  magnificent 
ball,  which  she  had  given  to  her  court  at  Greenwich, 
when  Cecil,  secretary  of  state,  entered  the  crowded 
and  brilliant  ball.  She  w^as  dancins:  when  he  wliis- 
pered  the  tidings  in  her  ear.  A  shade  passed,  like  a 
storm-cloud  over  the  landscape,  across  her  flushed 
and  kindling  features.    The  magic  wliirl  suddenly 


140 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ceased,  and  sinking  with  a  sigli  into  an  arm-chair, 
she  said  to  tlie  ladies  near  her  person,  "  that  tlie 
Queen  of  Scots  was  mother  to  a  fair  son,  while  she 
was  but  a  barren  stock."  She  soon  regained  tier  ac- 
customed self-control,  and  the  following  day  she  re- 
ceived Melvil  with  a  smile,  expressing  joy  at  the 
advent  of  a  prince,  and  thanking  him  for  bringing 
her  the  pleasing  intelligence.  She  also  assured  him, 
that  she  "  gladly  condescended  to  be  a  gossip  to  the 
Queen." 

"  She  immediately  sent  Sir  Henry  Ivillegrew  to  con- 
gratulate the  Queen  of  Scotland  on  her  behalf,  to 
assure  her  of  her  friendship,  and  to  express  her  appro- 
bation of  her  conduct  towards  Eizzio's  murderers, 
whom  she  had  nevertheless  granted  an  asylum  in  her 
dominions." 

Darnley  wrote  the  following  letter,  upon  the  birth 
of  his  son : 

KING  UENEY  DARNLEY  TO  MONSIEUK  THE  CARDINAL  DE  GUISE. 

"  From  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  tliis  19th  day 
of  June,  1566,  in  great  haste. 

"Sir,  my  uncle  :  having  so  favorable  an  opportunity 
of  writing  to  you  by  this  gentleman,  who  is  on  the 
point  of  setting  oiF,  I  w^ould  not  omit  to  inform  you 
that  the  Queen,  my  wife,  has  just  been  delivered  of 
a  son,  which  circumstance,  I  am  sure,  will  not  cause 
you  less  joy  than  ourselves  ;  and  also  to  inform  you 
how,  on  this  occasion,  I  have,  on  my  part,  as  the  Queen 
my  said  wife,  has  also  on  hers,  written  to  the  king, 
begging  him  to  be  pleased  to  oblige  and  honor  us  by 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


141 


standing  sponsor  for  liim,  by  wliicli  means  he  will  in- 
crease the  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  him  for  all  his 
favors  to  me,  for  which  I  shall  always  be  ready  to 
make  every  return  in  my  power. 

"  So  having  nothing  more  agreeable  to  inform  you 
of  at  present,  I  conclude,  praying  God,  monsieur,  my 
uncle,  to  have  you  always  in  his  holy  and  worthy 
keeping. 

"  Your  very  humble  and  very  obd't  nephew, 

"  Henry  K." 

Tlie  message  of  instructions  from  Charles  IX.  of 
France,  to  his  special  messenger  to  the  Queen  of  Scot- 
land, throws  light  on  the  passing  events  : 

INSTRUCTIONS  GIVEN  TO  THE  SR.  DE  MAUVISSIERE*  ON  A  MISSION 
FROM  THE  KING  OF  FRANCE  TO  SCOTLAND. 

"  The  Sr.  de  Mauvissiere,  w^hom  the  king  is  now 
sending  to  Scotland,  will,  on  passing  through  Eng- 
land, wait  upon  the  Sr.  de  la  Firest,  his  ambassador, 
and  accompany  him,  to  present  to  the  Queen  of  the 
aforesaid  England  the  letters  which  their  majesties 
have  written  to  her ;  and  say  that,  having  sent  him 
to  Scotland,  it  is  their  wish  that,  in  passing  through 
the  kingdom,  he  should  wait  upon  her,  and  present  in 
their  names,  their  most  affectionate  respects,  from  the 
desire  they  have  not  to  omit  toward  her  anything  that 
mutual  friendship  demands  ;  and  which  their  majes- 
ties wish  not  only  to  perpetuate,  but  to  augment  by 

•Michael  Castelnau  Seigneur  de  Mauvissiere  was  frequently  em- 
ployed in  diplomatic  missions,  and  was  in  1575  appointed  French 
ambassador  in  London,  which  post  he  held  for  six  years. 


14:2  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

all  the  means  possible,  as  well  as  by  every  act  of  kind- 
ness. And,  at  the  same  time,  the  said  Sieurde  Mau- 
vissiere  will  assm-e  the  said  lady,  that  the  perfect 
friendship  the  king  bears  her  is  so  strong  and  so  sin- 
cere, that  all  the  concerns  and  affairs  of  the  said  lady 
interest  him  as  much  as  his  own,  and  that  he  ardently 
desires  to  prove  the  sincerity  of  his  affection,  rathei 
by  deeds  than  by  words. 

"  That  the  reason  for  which  he  is  going  to  Scotland 
is  to  congratulate,  in  the  name  of  their  majesties,  the 
said  Queen  of  the  aforesaid  Scotland,  on  her  happy 
delivery,  and  that  God  has  given  her  a  son,  which 
news  was  very  agreeable  to  them,  as  they  also  pre- 
sume that  it  will  have  given  the  greatest  joy  to  the 
said  lady. 

"  Tliat  his  stay  will  be  so  short,  that,  if  it  please  the 
said  lady,  to  commission  him  to  say  anything  on  her 
part  to  the  Queen  of  Scotland,  he  will  deliver  the 
message  faithfully,  and  bring  her  an  answer  in  a  few 
days. 

"Having  performed  the  above  duty  to  the  said 
Queen  of  England,  he  will  see  the  Duke  (earl)  of  Lei- 
cester, and  say  to  him  that  their  majesties  continuing 
to  entertain  for  him  the  same  good-will  they  have  always 
hitherto  done,  it  is  their  wish  that  Sr.  de  la  Forest 
should  assist  him  in  every  way  he  can  in  regard  to 
his  marriage,  and  to  make  such  offers  as  he  will  repeat, 
of  which  the  duke  will  judge  if  they  can  be  useful  to 
him,  or  in  any  way  facilitate  and  promote  the  conclu- 
sion of  it ;  and  that,  if  it  be  agreeable  to  him  to  make 
known  his  intentions  to  the  said  Sr.  de  la  Forest,  or 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


143 


the  Sieiir  de  Troclimortin,  D.  Guillerey,  or  any  other 
whom  he  may  think  proper,  he  will  find  that  they 
will  proceed  more  expeditiously  than  the  Sieur  de 
Foix,  his  predecessor  ;  having  been  commanded  so  to 
do  by  their  majesties,  w^ho  desire  that  the  Sieur  de  la 
Forest  will  inform  them  of  this  in  his  own  name,  and 
contract  the  closest  private  familiarity  w^  ith  the  said 
Sieur  de  Troclimortin,  Guillerey,  or  any  other  w^hom 
the  duke  may  choose  to  employ,  to  procure  him  in- 
formation, and  assist  him  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
undertaking  in  such  manner  as  the  said  duke  may 
intimate  that  he  has  occasion  for.  That  the  said  Sr. 
de  Mauvissiere,  on  arriving  in  Scotland,  shall  fii-st 
visit  the  Queen  of  that  kingdom,  and  after  delivering 
to  her  the  letters  of  their  majesties  and  their  affec- 
tionate remembrances,  he  is  to  congratulate  her  on 
her  happy  delivery,  and  its  having  pleased  God  to 
give  her  a  son,  assuring  her  their  majesties  received 
the  news  with  the  greatest  joy,  and  w^ill  be  still  hap- 
pier to  learn  that  the  mother  and  infant  are  as  well  as 
can  be  desired. 

"  Besides  he  has  letters  to  the  King,  her  husband, 
to  express  the  like  congratulation  to  him,  but  also 
with  the  express  command  not  to  do  anything  in  this 
matter  but  what  the  said  lady  should  think  fit,  and  to 
use  such  language  to  him  as  she  may  deem  proper 
and  order. 

"That  he  has  also  letters  of  introduction  to  different 
gentlemen  of  that  country ;  that  if  the  said  lady  con- 
siders it  serviceable  to  her  that  he  should  hold  any 
language  to  them  on  the  part  of  their  majesties,  ho 


144: 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


must  do  SO ;  being,  when  all  is  said,  expressly  corn- 
manded  to  do  nothing  but  by  her  advice,  and  conduct 
Iiimself,  in  all  respects,  as  may  be  for  the  interest  of 
her  affairs,  according  as  ske  may  direct  him. 

"  And  if,  inasmuch  as  the  said  Sieur  de  Mauvis- 
siere  says  he  thinks  the  said  Queen  of  Scotland  will 
ask  what  assurance  he  brings  her  of  the  assistance  she 
is  to  expect  from  the  king  in  her  affairs,  in  men  or 
money,  if  the  said  lady  should  speak  to  him  on  this 
subject,  he  is  to  reply  as  follows : 

That  monsieur  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  having 
acquainted  their  majesties  that  the  said  lady  had  need 
of  money,  and  seeing  that,  from  the  state  of  his  finan- 
ces, he  could  not  spare  any  of  his  own,  had  begged 
their  majesties  to  furnish  him  with  the  sixty  thousand 
livres  which  were  due  of  his  pension,  and  which  their 
said  majesties  would  have  done  most  willingly  ;  but 
there  not  being  sufficient  ready  money  in  the  hands 
of  the  treasurer  to  furnish  him  with  the  said  sum, 
the  said  treasurer  had  rendered  himself  responsible 
in  his  own  private  name  toward  those  from  whom  the 
said  sieur  the  cardinal  should  obtain  the  said  sum, 
wdiich  their  majesties  think  that  he  would  not  fail  to 
remit  to  the  said  lady,  knowing  she  had  need  of  it. 
And  the  said  lady  must  not  doubt,  that  if  his  majesty 
had  had  as  much  money  at  his  command  as  good-will 
to  assist  the  said  lady,  she  would  always  find  his  purse 
open  and  at  her  service. 

"  As  to  sending  succors  in  men,  their  majesties  have 
been  informed  from  various  sources,  that  the  affairs 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


145 


of  her  kingdom  are  at  2:)resent  in  sucli  a  state  of  peace 
and  tranquillity  as  not  to  require  it,  and  that  she,  to 
whom  God  had  given  so  fine  and  promising  an  heir, 
is  so  much  revered  and  obeyed,  that  they  think  her 
most  important  object  will  be  to  reconcile  her  sub- 
jects to  each  other,  if  there  yet  remains  any  enmity 
among  them  on  account  of  the  past,  and  to  preserve 
peace  and  tranquillity  in  her  dominions  ;  and  for  this 
reason  they  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  give  any 
instructions  on  this  head  to  the  Sieur  de  Mauvissiere, 
that  on  his  return  he  may  be  able  to  report  the  same 
to  their  said  majesties,  who  will  always  do,  in  favor 
and  for  the  assistance  of  the  said  lady,  whatever  she 
can  promise  herself  and  expect  from  princes,  who  are 
her  best  and  most  sincere  friends  in  this  world. 

"  His  majesty  is  much  gratified  by  the  favor  which 
the  said  lady  has  done  him,  by  having  chosen  him  as 
one  of  the  sponsors ;  and,  being  desirous  of  gratify- 
ing and  obliging  her  to  the  utmost  of  his  power,  begs 
her  to  inform  him  which  of  the  princes  of  his  king- 
dom or  other  seigneurs  will  be  most  agreeable  to  her 
to  hold  her  son  at  the  holy  font  of  baptism  in  his 
name ;  as  the  one  whom  she  may  name  and  select, 
his  majesty  w^ill  immediately  dispatch  on  receiving 
from  her  this  information." 

Mary  looked  upon  her  first  born  with  more  than 
maternal  affection ;  ambitious  hopes  gave  a  glow  of 
intense  interest  to  her  pale  and  beautiful  face.  The 
subjection  of  foes,  aud  the  right  of  succession  in  Eng- 
land, were  associated  with  the  earliest  glance  of  the 
G  10 


146 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


infant's  wandering  eye.  She  little  thonglit  that  her 
idol  would  cost  her  a  throne,  and  as  a  result,  tears 
numberless  as  the  drops  of  morning  dew. 

Tlie  education  of  the  prince  was  a  question  of  im- 
mediate concern.  The  Protestant  leaders  assembled 
in  the  High  Church  to  offer  public  thanksgiving  for 
tlie  Queen's  safety,  and  resolved  to  urge  that  her 
son  should  be  nurtured  in  the  evangelical  faith. 

For  this  purpose  a  congratulatory  deputation  from 
the  General  Assembly,  headed  by  the  superintendent 
of  Lothian,  communicated  to  the  Queen  the  prayers 
of  her  subjects,  that  she  would  be  graciously  pleased 
to  allow  their  prince  to  be  reared  in  the  true  faith. 
Unfortunately  fur  Mary,  she  discovered  not  how 
much  it  imported,  even  to  her  personal  safety,  to  ac- 
quiesce in  this  demand;  —  more  unfortunately  still, 
she  allowed  herself  to  believe,  that  both  in  Scotland 
and  England,  the  ancient  worship  was  ultimately  to  be 
restored.  In  each  country  the  number  of  Catholics 
had  lately  increased,  and  she  w^ellknew  that  in  France, 
Spain,  and  Italy,  a  league  existed  for  the  extirpation 
of  heretical  principles.  With  these  internal  convic- 
tions, Mary  scrupulously  abstained  from  a  promise, 
not  only  revolting  to  her  conscience,  but  incompatible 
with  her  foreign  engagements  ;  unwilling,  liowever, 
at  such  a  m.oment,  to  cause  displeasure  to  her  sub- 
jects, she  ordered  the  infant  prince  to  be  presented  to 
the  deputies,  and  with  her  wonted  grace,  placed  him 
in  the  arms  of  the  superintendent.  Charrned  with 
this  affability,  the  minister  uttered  a  prayer  for  the 
babe's  future  honor  and  prosperity,  and,  at  the  con- 


MARY    Q-C  EEN    OF  SCOTS. 


147 


elusion,  extorted  from  the  child  a  certain  responsive 
murmur,  to  signify  that  he  pronounced.  Amen.  Marj, 
now  in  her  turn  delighted,  with  genuine  expressions 
of  maternal  fondness,  thanked  the  minister,  sportively 
calling  him  good  Mr.  Amen,  an  appellation  by  which 
he  was  ever  after  distinguished." 

The  exciting  question  of  the  succession  was  again 
revived,  according  to  Mary's  orders,  by  Melvil,  who 
addressed  Elizabeth  on  the  subject.  Tlie  Queen  of 
Scotland  effected  a  union  between  Murray,  Argyle, 
and  Lethington,  to  secure  the  influence  of  the  Protest- 
ant party  in  England ;  Avhile  the  same  policy  brought 
together  Bothwell,  Huntly,  Athol,  and  the  Bishop  of 
Ross,  to  control  the  Catholic  power,  in  the  attain- 
ment of  her  cherished  and  growing  aspirations.  In 
the  midst  of  those  reconciliations  and  favorable  nego- 
tiations with  the  lairds,  who  led  the  Presbyterian 
body,  the  radical  Catholics  interposed,  by  a  foolish 
claim  of  Elizabeth's  sceptre  in  Mary's  behalf. 

Patrick  Adamson,  a  Scotchman,  published  in  Paris 
a  Latin  work,  in  which  she  was  called  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, and  her  son,  "  Prince  of  Scotland,  England  and 
Ireland."  This  fully  aroused  Elizabeth.  Parliament, 
which  had  been  debating  the  transmission  of  the 
crown  for  several  days,  she  summoned  before  her, 
and  with  a  stern  rebuke,  unfolded  the  dangers  of  ap- 
pointing a  successor  before  hand,  with  these  words  : 
"  I  am  your  natural  Queen,  and  although  you  show 
yourselves  so  adverse  to  my  will  in  this  affair,  I  will 
not  consent  to  its  being  carried  farther."  The  lower 
house  still  persisted  in  the  discussion,  until  Elizabeth 


148 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


commanded  peremptorily,  a  cessation  of  further  con- 
sideration of  the  unpleasant  and  hopeless  question.. 
Referring  angrily  to  Adanison's  volume,  in  a  mes- 
sage to  Mary,  she  said  :  "You  know,  madam,  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  so  much  concerns 
my  honor  as  that  there  should  be  no  other  Queen  of 
England  but  myself." 

This  unsettled  condition  of  rival  claims  continued, 
while  Mary  entered  on  a  more  dangerous  experiment. 
James  Hepburn,  the  Earl  of  Botliwell,  was  a  daring, 
impetuous,  and  dangerous  man.  The  owner  of  large 
estates  — by  marriage  he  had  united  one  of  the  most 
influential  families  of  the  South,  with  the  most  pow- 
erful family  in  the  Kortli  of  Scotland.  Lady  Jane 
Gordon  had  been  his  bride  but  a  few  months,  when, 
during  the  summer  of  1566,  Mary  Stuart  cherished  a 
fatal  passion  for  the  earl.  Unblushing  in  his  vices, 
and  fearless  in  his  wildest  schemes,  his  heroism  and 
bold  ambition  won  the  admiration  of  Mary,  who  felt 
burdened  by  the  presence  of  the  weak  and  unreliable 
Darnley.  Bothwell  aimed  to  secure  her  affection  and 
share  her  sovereignty.  He  was  chivalrous,  though 
neither  handsome  nor  truly  refined  ;  and  to  an  ardent 
woman,  his  dashing  independence  and  extravagant 
devotion,  were  qualities  that  obscured  the  vices  of 
dissipation,  and  unscrupulous  plans  of  personal  eleva- 
tion. The  Queen,  before  she  was  aware,  was  an  un- 
resisting victim  of  his  fascinating  power.  His  influ- 
ence over  her,  and  in  the  court,  alarmed  the  youthful 
King,  and  he  began  to  look  for  a  protecting  party. 
He  sought  to  enlist  the  Catholic  church,  and  wrot6 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


149 


the  Pope,  charging  the  Queen  with  indifference  to 
the  progress  of  the  ancient  faith.  In  an  excursion  to 
Alloa,  on  the  banks  of  the  Forth,  it  is  recorded,  that 
upon  the  restoration  to  Mary's  favor  of  the  Laird 
of  Lethington,  on  that  occasion,  Darnley,  who  hated 
him,  in  a  passion  left  the  party  and  hastened  to  Edin- 
burgh. Mary  soon  followed  to  meet  Mauvissiere, 
who  had  arrived  from  France  with  the  congratulatory 
message  from  Charles  IX.  The  ambassador  acted  as 
mediator,  and  apparently  succeeded  in  making  a  re- 
conciliation between  the  alienated  parties.  For  sev- 
eral weeks  civility  and  tranquillity  marked  their 
intercourse.  Darnley  accompanied  the  Queen  and 
ladies  of  the  palace,  in  a  tour  to  the  Western  High- 
lands, but  before  the  royal  expedition  closed,  he  be- 
came more  irritable  and  insulting  than  at  any  former 
period.  Mary's  female  companions  did  not  escape 
the  ebullitions  of  his  anger.  He  finally  withdrew  to 
a  private  house,  and  refused  decidedly  to  attend  Mary 
to  the  capital.  In  his  melancholy  musings  he  resolved 
to  abandon  his  country,  and  wander,  self-exiled,  a  des- 
olate and  neglected  being,  who  could  publish,  with 
the  sympathy  of  all,  the  story  of  his  w^rongs.  This 
was  revenge  that  he  knew  would  wound  the  Queen 
deeply  ;  her  pride  and  sensibility  would  be  keenly 
stung.  A  ship  was  ready  to  convey  him  to  France, 
when  his  father  visited  him,  and  wrote  immediately 
to  Mary  Stuart  at  Edinburgh,  to  communicate  her 
husband's  intention,  and  his  own  inability  to  change 
the  King's  purpose. 
The  same  day  that  she  recived  the  letter  of  the  Earl 


150 


MARY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


of  Lennox,  awakening  tlie  apprehension  that  Darn- 
]ey  had  already  sailed  from  Scotland,  he  arrived  at 
llolyrood.  His  vacillating  nature  had  dismissed  the 
desperate  design  of  a  departure,  for  the  endeavor  to 
renew  confidence  and  harmony  with  Mary.  She  at 
once  assembled  her  council,  invited  the  French  am- 
bassador, De  Croc,  to  be  present,  while  an  explana- 
tion was  demanded  of  the  King,  of  his  strange  plans. 
Darnley  was  taken  by  surprise,  for,  instead  of  an 
amicable  settlement  of  difficulties,  he  w^as  brought  to 
the  tribunal  of  accusation  and  inquiry.  To  the  ques- 
tioning of  the  lords  he  was  silent.  De  Croc  assured 
him  his  projected  voyage  and  absence  involved  the 
Queen's  honor  and  his  own,  and  urged  him  to  give 
his  reasons  for  so  dangerous  a  resolve.  He  at  length 
replied,  that  Mary  had  given  him  no  occasion ;  which 
was  all  that  she  desired.  Whether  he  remained  in 
the  realm  or  not,  she,  before  competent  witnesses, 
w^as  acquitted  by  his  own  confession.  She  therefore 
said,  "  she  was  satisfied.''^  The  following  passages 
are  quoted  from  a  letter  of  the  council  to  the  queen- 
mother  of  France,  supposed  to  be  from  the  pen  of 
Maitland,  which  detail  the  interview  with  Darnley  : 

"  About  ten  or  twelve  days  ago,  the  Queen,  at  our 
request,  came  to  this  town  of  Lisleburg  (Edinburgh.) 
Her  majesty  was  desirous  the  King  should  have  come 
with  her,  but  because  he  liked  to  remain  at  Stirling, 
and  wait  her  return  thither,  she  left  him  there,  with 
an  intention  to  go  towards  him  in  five  or  six  days  ; 
meantime,  whilst  the  Queen  was  absent,  the  Earl  of 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


151 


Lennox,  liis  futlier,  came  to  visit  him  in  Stirling,  and 
having  remained  with  him  two  or  three  days,  he  went 
liis  way  to  Glasgow,  the  ordinary  place  of  his  abode ; 
from  Glasgow  my  Lord  of  Lennox  wrote  to  the 
Queen,  and  acquainted  her  Majesty,  that  though  for- 
merly, both  by  letters  and  messages,  and  now  also  by 
communication  with  his  son,  he  endeavored  to  divert 
him  from  an  enterprise  he  had  in  view,  he  neverthe- 
less had  not  the  interest  to  alter  his  mind.  This  pro- 
ject he  tells  the  Queen,  was  to  retire  out  of  the  king- 
dom beyond  sea,  and  for  this  purpose  he  had  a  ship 
lying  ready.  The  Earl  of  Lennox's  letter  came  to 
the  Queen's  hands  on  Michaelmas-day,  and  her  ma- 
jesty was  pleased  to  impart  the  same  to  the  lords  of 
her  council ;  and  if  her  majesty  was  surprised  by  this 
advertisement,  these  lords  were  no  less  astonished  to 
understand  that  the  King,  who  may  justly  esteem 
himself  happy,  upon  account  of  the  honor  conferred 
upon  him,  and  whose  chief  aim  should  be  to  render 
himself  grateful  to  her  country,  should  entertain  any 
thoughts  of  departing  after  so  strange  a  manner,  out 
of  her  presence  ;  nor  was  it  possible  for  them  to  form 
a  conjecture  from  whence  such  an  imagination  should 
take  its  rise.  Their  lordships,  therefore,  took  a  reso- 
lution to  talk  with  the  King,  that  they  might  learn 
from  himself  the  occasion  of  this  hasty  deliberation. 
The  same  evening  the  King  came  to  Edinburof*7  but 
made  some  difficulty  to  enter  into  the  palace,  by  rea- 
son that  three  or  four  lords  *  were  at  that  time  pre- 


*  The  Earls  Murray,  Rothes  and  Gleiicairn. 


153 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


sent  with  tlie  Queen,  and  peremptorily  insisted  that 
they  might  be  gone  before  he  would  condescend  to 
come  in  ;  wdiich  deportment  appeared  to  be  abundant- 
ly unreasonable,  since  they  were  three  of  the  great- 
est lords  in  the  kingdom,  and  that  those  kings  w^ho 
by  birth  were  sovereigns  of  the  realm,  have  never 
acted  in  that  manner  towards  the  nobility.  The 
Queen,  however,  received  this  behavior  as  decently 
as  was  possible  ;  and  T3ondescended  so  far  as  to  meet 
the  King  without  the  palace,  and  so  conducted  him 
into  her  own  apartments  ;  and  there  he  remained  all 
night,  and  then  her  majesty  entered  calmly  with  him 
on  the  subject  of  his  going  abroad,  that  she  might 
understand  from  himself  the  occasion  of  such  a  reso- 
hition  ;  but  he  would  by  no  means  give  or  acknowl- 
edge that  he  had  any  occasion  offered  him  of  discon- 
tent. The  lords  of  council  being  acquainted,  early 
next  morning,  that  the  King  was  going  to  return  to 
Stirling,  they  repaired  to  the. Queen's  apartment,  and 
no  other  person  being  present,  except  Monsieur  de 
Croc,  w^hom  they  prayed  to  assist  w^th  them,  as  being 
here  on  the  part  of  her  majesty,  the  occasion  of 
their  being-  together  here  was  then,  with  all  humility 
and  reverence  due  to  their  majesties,  proposed,  name- 
ly, to  understand  from  the  King,  whether,  according 
to  advice  imparted  to  the  Queen,  by  the  Earl  of  Len- 
nox, he  had  formed  a  resolution  to  depart  by  sea  out 
of  the  realm,  and  upon  what  ground,  and  for  what 
end  ?  That  if  his  resolution  proceeded  from  discon- 
tent, they  were  earnest  to  know  what  persons  had 
afforded  an  occasion  for  the  same.    That  if  he  could 


MART     QUEEN    OF    SOOTS.  15.'] 

complain  of  any  of  the  subjects  of  the  reahn,  be  they  of 
what  cpality  soever,  the  fault  should  immediately  be 
repaired  to  his  satisfaction.  And  now  we  did  remon- 
strate wdth  him,  that  his  own  honor,  and  the  Queen's 
honor,  the  honor  of  us  all,  w^as  concerned  ;  for  if  with- 
out just  occasion,  he  would  retire  from  the  palace,  and 
abandon  the  society  of  her  to  whom  he  is  so  far  obliged, 
that  in  order  to  advance  him,  she  humbled  herself, 
and,  from  being  his  sovereign,  surrendered  herself  to 
be  his  wife  ;  if  he  should  act  in  this  sort,  the  whole 
w^orld  would  blame  him,  as  ingrate  and  utterly  un- 
worthy to  possess  the  place  to  which  she  had  exalted 
him.  On  the  other  hand,  if  any  just  occasion  had 
been  given  him,  it  behooved  to  be  very  important, 
since  it  inclined  him  to  relinquish  so  beautiful  a  Queen, 
and  noble  realm  ;  and  the  same  must  have  been  afford- 
ed either  by  the  Queen  herself,  or  us,  her  ministers. 
As  for  us,  w^e  professed  ourselves  ready  to  do  him  all 
the  justice  he  could  demand.  Then  her  majesty  was 
pleased  to  enter  into  the  discourse,  and  spoke  affec- 
tionately to  him,  beseeching  him  that  since  he  would 
not  open  his  mind  to  her  in  private,  according  to  her 
most  earnest  request,  he  would  declare  before  these 
lords,  where  she  had  offended  him,  in  anything.  She 
likewise  said,  that  she  had  a  clear  conscience  ;  that  in 
all  her  life  she  had  never  done  anything  that  could 
prejudice  his  or  her  honor;  but,  nevertheless,  as  she 
might  have  given  him  offence  without  design,  she 
was  willing  to  make  amends  as  far  as  he  should  re- 
quire ;  therefore,  prayed  him  not  to  dissemble. 

"  But  though  the  Queen  and  all  others,  with  Mon- 
G* 


154: 


MARY    QTEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


sieur  cle  Croc,  used  all  the  interest  tliej  were  able,  he 
would  not  own  that  he  had  intended  any  voyage,  and 
declared  freely,  that  the  Queen  had  given  him  no 
occasion  of  complaint.  Whereupon  he  took  leave  of 
her  majesty,  and  went  his  way,  so  that  we  were  all  of 
opinion  this  was  but  a  false  alarm  the  Earl  of  Len- 
nox was  willing  to  give  her  majesty  ;  nevertheless,  by 
a  letter,  which  the  king  has  since  wrote  to  the  Queen 
in  a  sort  of  disguised  style,  it  appears  that  he  still  has 
it  in  his  head  to  leave  the  kingdom  ;  and  there  is  an 
advertisement  otherwise,  that  he  is  secretly  proposing 
to  be  gone. 

"  'Tis  true,  that  in  the  letter  he  grounds  a  complaint 
on  two  points  ;  one  is,  that  her  majesty  trusts  him 
not  with  so  much  authority,  nor  is  at  such  pains  to 
advance  him,  and  make  him  honored,  as  she  first  did ; 
and  the  other  point  is,  that  no  body  attends  him,  and 
that  the  nobility  desert  his  company.  To  these  the 
Queen  has  made  answer,  that  if  the  case  he  so,  he 
ought  to  blame  himself^  and  not  her  ;  for,  that  in  the 
beginning,  she  had  conferred  so  much  honor  upon 
4iim,  as  came  afterwards  to  render  herself  uneasy — 
the  credit  and  reputation  wherein  she  had  placed  him, 
having  served  as  a  shadow  to  those  who  have  most 
heinously  offended  her  reputation.  But  notwithstand- 
ing tliis,  she  has  continued  to  show  him  such  respect, 
that  although  they  who  did  perpetrate  the  murder  of 
her  faithful  servant,  had  entered  her  chamber  with 
his  knowledge,  having  followed  close,  and  had  named 
t'im  the  chief  of  their  enterprise  ;  yet  would  she  never 


JVIAKY    QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


155 


accuse^  but  did  always  excuse  liim,  and  was  willing  to 
appear  as  though  she  believed  it  not.  And  then  as 
to  his  not  being  attended,  the  fault  thereof  must  be 
charged  upon  himself,  since  she  has  always  made  an 
offer  to  liim  of  her  own  servants  ;  and  as  for  the  nobili- 
ty, they  come  to  court  and  pay  deference  and  respect, 
according  as  they  have  any  matters  to  do,  and  as  tliey 
receive  a  kindly  countenance  ;  but  that  he  is  at  no 
pains  to  gain  them,  and  make  himself  beloved,  hav- 
ing gone  so  far  as  to  prohibit  those  noblemen  from 
entering  his  room,  whom  she  had  first  appointed  to  be 
about  his  person.  If  the  nobility  abandon  him,  his 
own  deportment  towards  them  is  the  cause  thereof; 
for  if  he  desires  to  be  followed  and  attended,  he  must, 
in  the  first  place,  gain  their  love,  and  for  this  pur230se 
render  himself  amiable  to  them,  without  which,  it 
would  be  difficult  for  her  majesty  to  regulate  this 
point  —  especially  to  make  the  nobility  consent,  that 
he  shall  have  the  management  of  affairs  put  into  his 
hands,  because  she  finds  them  utterly  averse  to  any- 
such  matter." 

When  Darnley  rose  to  leave  the  council,  he  said  to 
the  Queen,  "  Adieu  !  madam.  You  shall  not  see  my 
face  for  a  long  space."  Turning  to  the  lords,  he  ad- 
ded, "  Gentlemen,  adieu  !  "  At  that  moment  the  dis- 
tance between  him  and  Mary  was  wider,  and  more 
sharply  defined,  than  when  he  reached  Edinburgh. 
He  continued  preparations  for  leaving  the  kingdom, 
but  subsequently  abandoned  them,  to  his  own  and 
the  Queen's  misfortune. 


.15G 


MxVRY    QUEEN    OF  ScOTS. 


Listead  of  opposing  any  fartlier  the  King''s  deter- 
mination, Mary  Stuart,  without  inviting  him  to  join 
the  party,  made  a  tour  to  the  south-eastern  frontier, 
to  quell  the  insubordination  of  the  Johnsons,  Arm 
strongs  and  Elliots,  who,  like  mountain-panthers,  were 
fiercely  warring  with  each  other.  October  Gth,  15G6, 
tlie  Earl  of  Bothwell,  by  the  Queen's  commission,  as 
lord  lieutenant,  had  repaired  to  the  scene  of  conflict. 
Two  days  after,  the  Queen  reached  Jcdburg  to  hold 
her  "justice  aire,  "  -  or  assizes,  and  sustain  with  royal 
justice  and  presence  the  military  force.  On  the  day 
of  her  arrival,  Bothwell,  in  a  personal  combat  with 
John  Elliot  of  Park,  was  dangerously  wounded,  and 
immediately  removed  to  the  Castle  of  Hermitage,  not 
far  from  the  marches,  were  he  encountered  the  bor- 
derers. When  Mary  heard  of  the  EarFs  peril,  she 
"  was  so  highly  grieved  in  heart,  that  she  took  no  re- 
pose in  body  until  she  saw  him  !  "  f  With  the  restless- 
ness of  impatient  love,  she  remained  at  Jedburg  ofii- 
cially  until  the  loth  of  October,  when  she  took  a 
dashing  ste3d  and  flew  to  the  Hermitage,  attended 
by  Murray  and  other  nobles.  She  found  the  favorite 
chieftain  pale  and  languishing,  and  feared  a  fatal  issue. 
Deeply  grieving,  she  yielded  to  the  urgency  of  aflairs, 
and  Avith  marvelous  fleetness  returned  the  same  day 
to  Jedburg;  making  the  whole  distance  traveled  on 

*  "Justice  aires  were  holden  annually  in  the  provinces  for  tbe 
administration  of  justice.  Many  flagrant  enormities  having  been 
committed  in  Liddisdale,  it  was  deemed  necessary  that  the  Queen 
should  assist  in  person,  in  the  manner  of  her  predecessors." 

f  Crawford.  * 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


157 


horseback  about  forty  miles.  But  refusing  rest,  she 
employed  the  time  after  reaching  her  apartments, 
"  till  the  noon  of  night,"  writing  to  Bothwell,  whom 
she  had  so  recently  left.  The  following  morning  pros- 
trating disease  crimsoned  her  cheek,  and  falling  into 
a  swoon,  she  lay  at  the  gate  of  death  for  several  hours. 
When  this  insensibility  passed,  the  fair  sufferer  was 
in  the  embrace  of  a  burning  fever.  Reason  was  de- 
throned, and  it  seem.ed  to  all  that  life's  golden  bowl 
would  soon  be  broken.  "With  returnino;  conscious- 
ness,  Mary  thought  also  that  her  departure  was  near. 
Requesting  the  nobles  to  offer  prayer  in  her  behalf, 
she  confided  her  son  to  Elizabeth,  and  sent  a  messen- 
ger to  apprise  Darnley  of  her  danger. 

The  tidings  of  Mary's  illness,  spread  over  the  plains 
and  highlands  of  Scotland.  Prominent  members 
of  the  nobility  hastened  to  Jed  burg.  Meanwhile, 
Bothwell,  convalescent,  with  knightly  ardor  sought 
her  presence.  He  was  member  of  the  privy  coun- 
cil, and  would  have  doubtless  been  there,  if  for  no 
other  reason.  But  the  entire  affair,  from  tlie  combat 
with  the  freebooter,  had  worn  the  romance  of  con- 
cealed passion. 

Darnley  arrived  the  28th  of  October,  and  finding 
Mary  already  favorably  past  the  crisis  of  her  malady, 
he  tarried  only  a  night,  and  rej^aired  again  to  Glas- 
gow. A  visit  to  a  wife  and  Queen  on  the  couch  of 
pain,  so  brief  and  coldly  formal,  deepened  the  bitter- 
ness of  her  enmity,  and  stimulated  her  devotion  to 
the  courtly  earl.  The  recovery  to  comparative  health 
was  slow.    I^ovenlber  8th,  she  journeyed  with  care- 


e 


158 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ful  conveyance  and  frequent  rest,  to  Kelso,  and  along 
the  coast  to  Craigmillar  Castle,  where  she  took  apart- 
ments on  the  20th ;  a  distance  of  three  miles  from 
Edinburgh.  Melancholy  and  spectral  from  sorrows 
and  disease,  she  appeared  yet  on  the  confines  of  eter- 
nity. De  Croc  Wrote  to  the  Arclibishop  of  Glasgow  : 
"  The  Queen  is  not  well.  I  do  believe  the  principal 
part  of  her  disease  to  consist  of  a  deep  grief  and  sor- 
row. Nor  does  it  seem  possible  to  make  her  forget 
the  same.  Still  she  repeats  the  words,  '  I  could  wish 
to  be  dead.' "  Said  the  observing  Lethington  :  "  It  is 
an  heart-break  for  her  to  think  that  he  should  be  her 
husband,  and  how  to  be  free  of  him  she  sees  no  out- 
let." This  dismal  complaining  awakened  in  the  minds 
of  those  around  her,  various  plans  for  the  relief  of 
the  Queen.  Morton,  Ruthven  and  Lindsay,  who  were 
connected  with  her  counselors,  by  ties  of  relation- 
ship or  friendship,  having  shed  the  blood  of  Rizzio, 
were  ready  for  further  dark  conspiracies.  Lethington 
arranged  a  plan  with  shrewd  calculation,  and  daring 
disregard  of  tragical  results.  He  proposed  the  return 
of  the  exiled  murderers,  on  conditions  of  a  divorce  from 
Darnley,  and  if  necessary,  his  assassination.  Both- 
well  seized  the  suggestion  enthusiastically,  and  Ar- 
gyle  and  Huntley  assented.  Murray  was  anxious  to 
'have  his  sister  secure  a  divorce,  as  the  only  deliver- 
ance from  greater  evils.  When  the  scheme  was 
broached  to  Mary  Stuart,  she  answered,  "  That  on 
two  conditions  she  might  agree  to  the  proposal :  The 
first,  that  the  divorce  should  be  made  lawfully,  and 
that  it  should  not  prejudice  her  son ;  otherwise,  she 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


159 


would  rather  endure  all  torments,  and  abide  the  per- 
ils that  might  ensue." 

The  Earl  of  Bothwell  answered,  "The  divorce 
might  be  made  without  prejudice  to  the  prince,  since 
he  himself  had  succeeded  to  his  father's  title  and 
estate ;  although  he  had  been  divorced  from  his 
mother." 

It  was  also  suggested  that  after  the  divorce,  the 
King  should  remain  in  one  part  of  the  country,  the 
Queen  in  another,  or  that  he  should  withdraw  to  a  for- 
eign land. 

The  Queen  here  said,  "  That  perhaps  he  would 
change  his  opinion,  and  that  it  was  better  that  she 
herself  for  a  time  passed  into  France." 

Then  Lethington  rejoined,  "Think  ye  not  that  we, 
who  are  of  the  chief  of  your  nobility  and  council, 
shall  find  means  that  you  be  quit  of  him  without 
prejudice  to  your  son  ?  and  although  my  Lord  of 
Murray  be  no  less  scrupulous  for  a  Protestant  than 
your  grace  for  a  Papist,'  I  am  sure  he  will  look 
through  his  fingers  thereto,  and  will  behold  our  do- 
ings." f 

The  Queen  here  answered  decidedly,  "  I  will  that 
ye  do  nothing  to  spot  my  honor  or  conscience  ;  anc. 
therefore  I  pray  you  let  the  matter  rest,  till  God  of 
his  goodness  find  the  remedy."* 

Lethington  closes  the  conference  by  remarking, 
"  Madam,  let  us  guide  the  business  among  us,  and 
your  grace  shall  see  nothing  but  good,  and  approved 

♦Extracted  from  the  declaration  of  the  Earls  Huntley  and  Ar- 
gyle.    See  Appendix  to  Keith  ;  Anderson's  Collections. 


IGO  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

hy  Parliament."  This  interview  was  immediately 
followed  by  an  act  wliicli  was  the  shadow  of  fearful 
events.  The  lords  entered  into  a  bond  and  solemn 
oath,  "  to  cut  off  the  King  as  a  young  fool  and  tyrant, 
who  was  an  enemy  to  the  nobility,  and  had  conducted 
himself  in  an  intolerable  manner  to  the  Queen." 
Pledging  to  each  other  fidelity  unto  death,  in  this  de- 
fence of  the  state,  the  covenant  was  signed  by  Sir 
James  Balfour,  the  writer,  and  a  partizan  of  Bothwell, 
Huntley,  Lethington  and  Argyle,  and  committed  to 
the  care  of  Bothwell.  A  few  weeks  later,  the  royal 
christening  occurred  at  Stirling  Castle.  Mary  was 
educated  amid  pomp,  of  which  she  was  fond,  and 
preparations  for  the  festival  had  been  made  on  a 
magnificent  scale. 

The  Pope's  nuncio  was  invited  to  attend,  but 
upon  more  prudent  advice,  Mary  prevented  his 
appearance  on  dangerous  ground.  Elizabeth  ap- 
pointed the  Countess  of  Argyle  to  rej^resent  her  as 
god-mother,  and  dispatched  Bedford  with  a  font  of 
gold,  valued  at  five  thousand  dollars,  to  be  used  at  the 
ceremony.  Darnley  was  not  present,  though  in  the 
Castle.  In  the  conscious  degradation,  and  in  anger, 
he  shut  himself  in  his  room  till  the  imposing  service 
was  concluded.  Bothwell  was  master  of  ceremonies, 
though  a  Protestant;  and  but  two  of  the  nobles  had 
been  adherents  of  Rome.  Mary  shone  in  jewels,  il- 
lustrating what  is  oftener  true  than  known,  that  be- 
neath a  golden  vestment  and  robe  may  beat  an  anxious 
heart,  and  under  a  crown,  throb  a  troubled  brain. 
Such  is  God's  eternal  law  of  correspondence  between 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


161 


a  man's  real  condition  and  his  character.  Tlie  French 
amhassador,  De  Croc,  wrote  a  letter  descriptive  of 
the  baptismal  scene,  and  the  incidents  which  occur- 
red: 

"Dece^^iber  23d. 
"  The  christening  of  the  prince  was  solemnized  on 
Tuesday  last,  when  he  received  the  name  of  Charles 
James ;  it  was  the  Queen's  pleasure  that  he  should 
bear  the  name  of  James,  together  with  Charles,  after 
the  King  of  France,  because,  said  she,  all  the  good 
Kings  of  Scotland,  his  predecessors,  who  have  been 
most  devoted  to  the  crown  of  France,  were  called  by 
the  name  of  James.  Everything  was  performed  ac- 
cording to  the  holy  Catholic  church.  The  King, 
Lord  Darnley,  had  still  given  out  that  he  should  de- 
part two  days  before  the  christening :  but  when  the 
time  approached,  he  gave  no  sign  of  removal ;  only, 
he  still  kept  close  within  his  own  apartment.  The  very 
day  of  the  ceremony,  he  sent  three  times,  desiring  me 
either  to  come  and  see  him,  or  to  appoint  the  hour 
when  he  might  come  to  my  lodgings  ;  so  that  I  found 
myself  obliged  to  signify  to  him,  that  since  he  was  on 
no  good  terms  with  the  Queen,  I  had  been  charged 
by  tlie  most  Christian  king,  to  have  no  communica- 
tion with  him.  And  I  caused  him  also  to  be  told, 
that  as  it  would  not  be  proper  for  him  to  come  to  my 
lodgings,  where  there  was  a  crowd  of  company  ;  as  he 
might  understand  that  there  were  two  passages  in  it, 
and  that  if  he  -entered  by  one  door,  I  should  be  con- 
strained to  go  out  by  the  other ;  nor  can  any  good  be 
expected  from  him.    I  cannot  pretend  to  foretell  how 

11 


162 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


all  may  terminate,  but  this  I  will  say,  that  matt^jia 
cannot  long  remain  as  they  are,  without  producing 
bad  consequences." 

Mary,  upon  the  renewed  entreaty  of  Lethington 
and  Bothwell,  restored  Morton,  Ruthven,  Lindsay, 
and  seventy -six  more  of  the  refugees.  Elizabeth,  in 
private  correspondence,  had  advised  the  Queen  to  do 
so,  and  also  to  treat  Darnley  with  kindness.  But  the 
King,  alarmed  at  the  return  of  his  own  instruments 
of  vengeance,  hastily  abandoned  the  court,  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Glasgow,  at  his  father's  house. 
The  small  pox  was  prevailing,  and  he  became  its 
victim. 

Notwithstanding,  the  plot  against  his  life  went  stea- 
dily forward.  Bothwell,  who  was  the  soul  of  the  con- 
si^iracy,  continued  to  gain  confederates.  Morton 
returned  to  Scotland  the  fore  part  of  January,  1567. 
The  earl  made  an  unwearied  effort  to  enlist  his  power- 
ful co-operation,  but  he  refused,  though  assured  that  th^* 
Queen  approved  the  measure,  unless  he  could  see  hei 
signature  of  sanction.  This  he  attempted  to  obtain,  and 
failed.  Whether  Mary  had  withheld  all  connivance 
from  her  admirer,  or  was  governed  by  prudence  only, 
cannot  be  certainly  known.  It  was  rumored  at  this 
time,  that  the  King  had  determined  to  seize  the  per- 
son of  his  son  James,  have  him  crowned,  and  hold 
in  the  name  of  the  prince  the  sceptre  of  the  realm. 
Mary  was  sufficiently  disturbed  to  remove  James  to 
Edinburgh,  that  no  surprise  might  give  reality  to  her 
fears.  Darnley  was  recovering  from  sickness,  but 
powerless  as  infancy. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


1G3 


The  Quceii  accuse  J  him  of  the  absurd  des'i^n,  and 
expressed  her  feelings  in  a  c jmmunication  to  the 
Archl)is]iop  of  Ghisgow  : 

"  For  the  King,  our  husband,  God  knows  always 
our  part  towards  him^  and  his  hehavior  and  thankful- 
ness to  us  is  semblament  well  known  to  God  and  the 
world — especially  our  own  subjects  see  it — and  in 
their  hearts,  we  doubt  not,  condemn  the  same, —  al- 
ways we  perceive  him  occupied,  busily  enough,  to 
have  inquisition  of  our  doings,  which,  God  willing, 
shall  always  be  such  as  none  shall  have  occasion  to 
be  offended  with,  or  to  report  of  us  any  ways  but  hon- 
orably. Howsoever  he,  his  father,  and  their  follow- 
ers speak,  who  we  know  want  no  good  will  to  make 
us  ado,  if  their  power  were  equivalent  to  their  mind  ; 
but  God  moderates  their  forces  well  enough,  and  takes 
means  of  the  execution  of  their  pretences  from  them, 
for  as  we  believe  they  shall  find  none  or  very  few  a])- 
jprovers  of  their  councils  and  devices,  imagined  to 
our  displeasure  or  disliking ;  and  thus  commit  you  to 
the  protection  of  God. 

"  Your  right  good  mistress, 

"  Maey. 

"At  Edinburgh,  the  20th  Jan.  1560." 

Soon  after  this  letter  was  written,  Mary  left  the 
capital  for  Glasgow.  She  found  Darnley  still  an  in- 
valid, and  greatly  amazed  at  her  visit,  because  he 
had  heard  of  her  suspicions,  and  caught  faint  tokens 
of  an  impending  bolt.    He  told  her  all,  expressinjj 


16i 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


his  sad  appreliensions,  althougli  lie  knew  she  had  re- 
fused to  sign  a  paper  authorizing  his  seizure,  and  if 
he  resisted,  his  murder. 

"  He  added  that  he  would  never  think  that  she, 
who  was  his  own  proper  flesh,  would  do  him  any 
hurt:  and  then,  with  more  vanity  than  confidence, 
he  declared  that  if  any  others  should  intend  to  injure 
him,  he  would  sell  his  life  dear,  unless  they  took  him 
sleeping.  Mary  in  her  turn  reminded  him  of  his  in- 
tention to  retire  to  the  Continent,  and  of  the  project 
attributed  to  him  by  Hiegate  and  "Walcar.'-^'  He  af- 
firmed that  he  had  never  been  serious  in  his  threats 
of  departure,  and  denied  the  second  charge  with  ve- 
hemence." Mary,  at  length,  with  her  gentle  persua- 
sion, tearful  and  lustrous  blue  eyes,  subduing  re- 
proaches, and  expressions  of  affection,  won  the  confi- 
dence of  the  vacillating,  miserable  phantom  of  royalty. 
He  had  always  loved  her,  and  his  alienation  was  that 
Z)f  wounded  pride,  and  undisguised  contempt  from  the 
object  of  love  and  ambition.  His  confessions  were 
full,  and  promises  for  the  future  satisfactory. 

He  bescored  her  to  leave  him  no  more.  Marv  then 
wished  him  to  go  to  Craigmillar  soon  as  able  to  travel 
on  a  litter;  he  consented,  if  she  would  receive  him 
cordially  to  her  heart,  as  her  true  husband.  To  this 
she  assented,  and  gave  him  her  hand,  suggesting  a 
delay  till  cured  of  his  sickness,  and  desired  him  to 
keep  the  reconciliation  a  secret,  to  avoid  giving  of- 
fence to  the  nobles.    The  mind  pauses  over  this  scene, 

*  The  reported  plan  of  securing  the  coronation  of  the  prince,  and 
ruling  as  regent. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


165 


bewildered  and  sad.  To  believe  Marj  entirely  sin- 
cere in  so  great  and  sndden  a  transition  of  manner,  is 
an  amplitude  of  cbaritable  credulity  it  would  be 
pleasant  to  aw^ard.  To  doubt  her  truthfulness,  is  to 
people  the  obscurity  of  a  w^oman's  heart  with  more 
demoniac  inmates,  than  the  deepest  depravity  in  time 
would  seem  to  warrant.  By  whatever  reasons,  en- 
forced by  a  false  training,  she  hushed  the  upbraidings 
of  conscience,  the  conclusion  of  perfidy  is  inevitable. 
She  was  impetuous  in  feeling,  and  gave  herself  to  a  fa- 
vorite object  with  almost  insane  ardor.  Bothwell  mani- 
festly ruled  the  Queen,  and  she  stooped  to  his  lawless 
designs.  He  had  transferred  Mcolas  Hubert,  his  ser- 
vant, more  familiarly  called  Paris,  from  the  city  of  his 
nativity,  to  her  service.  He  was  in  the  conspiracy 
of  his  former  master,  and  was  with  the  Queen  during 
her  visit  to  Glasgow.  Paris,  only  two  days  after  Ma- 
ry's arrival,  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  Bothwell, 
containing  evidences  of  attachment  to  the  earl,  and 
comments  on  the  interview  with  Darnley,in  these  re- 
markable words  : 

"  I  have  never  seen  him  better,  or  speak  so  humbly  ^ 
and  if  I  had  not  knowm  from  experience  that  his 
heart  is  as  soft  as  wax,  and  mine  as  hard  as  diamond, 
I  should  almost  have  taken  pity  on  him.  However, 
fear  nothing.  You  constrain  me  so  to  dissimulate, 
that  I  am  horrified,  seeing  that  you  do  not  merely 
force  me  to  play  the  part  of  a  traitress ;  I  pray  you 
remember  that,  if  desire  to  please  you  did  not  force 
me,  I  would  rather  die  than  commit  these  things  ;  for 
my  heart  bleeds  to  do  them.    In  brief,  he  wull  not 


166 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


come  with  me,  unless  upon  this  condition,  that  I  shall 
promise  to  use  in  common  with  him  a  single  table, 
and  the  same  bed  as  before,  and  that  I  shall  not  leave 
him  so  often,  and  that  if  I  will  do  this,  he  will  do  all 
I  wish,  and  will  follow  me."  Carried  awaj  by  the 
violence  of  her  love,  she  told  Both  well  that  she  would 
obey  him  in  all  things ;  and  begged  him  not  to  con- 
ceive a  bad  opinion  of  her ;  "  because,"  she  continued, 
you  yourself  are  the  occasion  of  it ;  I  would  never 
act  against  him,  to  gratify  my  own  private  revenge." 

In  her  wild  impulses,  she  laid  on  the  altar  of  sacri- 
fice to  Bothwell's  ambition,  her  honor,  principle,  and 
conscience  —  a  mournful  example  of  frailty  and  guilt, 
upon  the  summit  of  human  greatness.  Paris  con- 
veyed the  message,  with  a  purse  of  gold,  and  bracelets 
which  Mary  had  made  for  Bothwell.  The  faithful 
servant  was  directed  to  inquire  where  Darnley  should 
be  lodged,  in  the  Kirk  of  Field  or  at  Craigmillar. 
It  was  deemed  improper  to  take  the  King  to  the  pal- 
ace, on  account  of  his  malady.  It  was  decided  by 
Bothwell  and  Lethington  to  give  the  invalid  apart- 
ments in  the  Kirk  of  Field,  which  was  "  a  large,  open 
space  near  an  old  Dominican  convent  of  Blackfriars." 

In  the  pleasant  area  were  gardens  and  houses, 
the  residences  of  the  Duke  of  Chatellerault,  Kobert 
Balfour,  a  relative  of  Sir  James,  who  drew  the  mur- 
derous bond,  and  others.  The  house  of  Balfour  waa 
selected,  because,  though  less  spacious,  it  was  more 
secluded  than  any  other  dwelling.  Paris  saw  Both- 
well  and  James  Balfour  in  consultation,  who  gave  to 
the  servant  this  brief  and  significant  direction :  "  Ke- 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


167 


turn  to  tlie  Queen,  and  recommend  me  very  humbly 
to  her  grace,  and  tell  her  all  will  go  well,  for  Mr. 
James  Balfour  and  I  have  not  slept  the  whole  night,  so 
we  have  set  all  things  in  order,  and  have  got  ready 
the  house.  And  tell  the  Queen  that  I  send  to  her  this 
diamond  by  your  hands,  and  that  if  I  had  my  heart, 
I  would  send  it  to  her  very  willingly."  It  was  not 
long  before  poor  Darnley  was  moving  slowly  towards 
the  place  of  doom,  and  lavishing  caresses  on  the 
Queen,  who  wrote  to  Both  well,  "according  to  the 
commission  which  I  have  received,  I  shall  bring  the 
man  with  me  Monday." 

Darnley  consented  to  the  arrangement  for  the  Kirk 
of  Field.  But  his  mind  was  distressed  with  the  ap- 
prehension of  treachery.  He  said  to  Crawford,  "  I 
have  fears  enough,  but  may  God  judge  between  us. 
I  have  her  promise  only  to  trust  to,  but  I  have  put 
myself  in  her  hands,  and  shall  go  with  her,  though 
she  should  murder  me."  Bothwell  met  Mary  and  the 
King  just  before  they  reached  Edinburgh;  and  on  the 
31st  of  January,  the  invalid,  trembling  with  dread 
presentiments,  entered  the  apartment  from  which  he 
would  not  depart  alive.  The  house  was  small  and 
poorly  furnished.  It  was  of  two  stories,  the  lower 
containing  a  cellar,  and  a  single  room  besides ;  the 
upper  story  was  divided  into  a  gallery  over  the  cel- 
lar, and  a  bed-chamber  corresponding  to  the  room  be- 
neath. "Nelson,  Darnley's  servant,  when  he  arrived 
at  Kirk  of  Field,  was  about  to  prepare  the  Duke  of 
Chatellerault's  house  for  the  reception  of  his  master. 
But  the  Queen  prevented  him,  and  directed  him  to 


1G8 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Balfour's  house,  whither  the  necessary  furniture  was 
conveyed,  and  which  Both  well  had  evidently  chosen, 
that  he  might  carry  out  his  murderous  intentions  with 
greater  facility.  Darnley  was  established  on  the  first 
floor,  where  his  three  servants,  Taylor,  IsTelson,  and 
Edward  Simons,  occupied  the  gallery,  which  served 
at  once  as  a  wardrobe  and  cabinet.  The  cellar  on  the 
ground  floor  was  transformed  into  a  kitchen,  and  the 
Queen  had  a  bed  prepared  for  herself  in  the  room 
immediately  below  that  in  which  the  King  slept.  She 
also  directed  that  the  door  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase, 
which  communicated  between  the  ground-floor  and 
the  upper  rooms,  should  be  removed.  Thus  installed, 
though  very  uncomfortably,  by  Darnley's  side,  she 
passed  several  nights  under  the  same  roof  with  him. 
Her  assiduity,  her  attention,  and  the  manifold  proofs 
which  she  gave  him  of  her  afl^ection,  were  all  well 
calculated  to  dispel  his  fears." 

Meanwhile,  the  Earl  of  Bothwell  was  busy  with 
his  remorseless  imaginings,  whose  unfinished  plan 
was  the  murder  of  the  object  between  him  and  a 
throne.  He  had  enlisted,  to  act  subordinate  j^arts,  his 
chamberlain,  tailor,  porter,  and  others,  whose  metal 
he  had  tested  in  frontier  conflicts.  False  keys  were 
prepared,  and  a  barrel  of  gunpowder  procured  by  Both- 
well.  Paris  tried  the  keys,  to  be  sure  of  their  simi- 
larity, but  when  his  old  master  unfolded  the  whole 
plan  of  assassination,  he  hesitated,  fearing  his  own  de- 
struction might  be  the  result.  And  according  to 
subsequent  confession  of  the  Frenchman,  the  follow- 
ing conversation  occurred : 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SOOTS.  1G9 

"  On  hearing  Mm  my  heart  grew  faint ;  I  did  not 
say  a  word,  but  cast  down  my  eyes  .  "  Bothwell,  who 
was  not  pleased  at  his  silence  and  consternation, 
looked  at  him  with  impatience,  and  asked  him  what 
he  thought  of  the  plan.  "  Sir,  I  think  that  what  you 
tell  me  is  a  great  thing."  "  Wliat  is  your  opinion  of 
it  ? "  reiterated  Both  well.  "  Pardon  me,  sir,  if  I  tell 
you  my  opinion  according  to  my  poor  mind." 
"  Wliat !  are  you  going  to  preach  to  me  ?"  "  'No, 
sir,  you  shall  hear  presently."  "  Well !  say  on." 
Paris  then  reminded  him  of  the  trouble  and  misfor- 
tunes of  his  past  life,  and  sought  to  dissuade  him  from 
this  murder,  which  would  destroy  his  present  tran- 
quillity, and  endanger  the  extraordinary  favor  which 
he  had  attained.  He  concluded  by  telling  him: 
"  Now,  sir,  if  you  undertake  this  thing,  it  will  be  the 
greatest  trouble  you  ever  had,  above  all  others  you 
have  endured,  for  every  one  will  cry  out  upon  you, 
and  you  will  be  destroyed."  "  Well,"  said  Bothwell, 
"  have  you  done  ? "  "  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  if  you 
please,  if  I  have  spoken  to  you  according  to  my  poor 
mind."  "  Fool  that  you  are  !  "  said  Bothwell,  "  do 
you  think  that  I  am  doing  this  all  alone  by  myself? " 
"  Sir,  I  do  not  know  how  you  are  going  to  do  it,  but 
I  know  well  that  it  will  be  the  greatest  trouble  you 
ever  had."  "  And  how  so  ? "  said  Bothwell ;  "  I  have 
already  with  me  Lethington,  who  is  esteemed  one  of 
the  most  prudent  men  in  this  country,  and  who  is  the 
undertaker  of  all  this  ;  and  I  have  also  the  Earl  of 
Argyle,  my  brother  Huntley,  Morton,  Kuthven,  and 
Lindsay.    These  three  last  will  never  fail  me,  for  I 


170 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


^have  begged  for  tlieir  pardon,  and  I  have  tlie  signa- 
tures of  all  these  I  have  mentioned  to  you.  We  were 
desirous  to  do  it  the  last  time  we  wxre  at  Craigmillar ; 
but  you  are  a  fool  and  poor  of  mind,  unworthy  to 
hear  anything  of  consequence." 

Paris  finally  consented  to  Both  well's  satanic  propo- 
sals, it  may  be  with  less  pause  than  he  affirms.  lie 
promised  to  introduce  Hay  of  Tallo,  Hepburn,  and 
Ormistcn,  into  Mary's  chamber,  on  the  evening  ap- 
pointed for  the  deed,  while  she  was  with  Darnley, 
that  they  might  deposit  the  powder  there.  Paris  was 
ordered  not  to  place  the  Queen's  bed  under  the  King, 
because  the  explosion  must  be  where  it  stood.  This 
was  neglected,  and  he  affirms  that  Mary,  coming  in, 
dji-ected  the  change  to  be  made.  Tlie  night  of  Sun- 
d  February  9th,  was  the  time  designated  for  the 
t<  rrible  experiment.  Paris  says,  the  Queen  then 
s'  bstituted  worn  drapery  for  the  new  velvet  in  Darn- 
L  y's  chamber ;  and  Kelson,  Bothwell's  servant,  tes- 
t  led,  that  she  removed  a  rich  coverlet  of  fur  from 
her  own  apartment. 

Sabbath  evening  she  was  with  Darnley,  convers- 
ing familiarly,  while  the  enginery  of  death  was  in 
preparation  below.  Toward  sunset  of  the  holy  day, 
Bothwell  had  assembled  his  accomplices,  and  assigned 
to  each  his  part  in  the  midnight  close  of  a  slow  and 
cruel  conspiracy.  At  ten  o'clock  the  sacks  of  pow- 
der, were  carried  from  a  secluded  hall,  in  Holyrood 
Abbey,  near  Bothwell's  lodgings,  across  the  gardens, 
by  Wilson,  Powrie,  and  Dalgleish,  to  Blackfriars 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


171 


Wynd ;  wlien  Hay  of  Tallo,  Hepburn  and  Ormiston, 
receiving  tliem,  deposited  the  treasure  of  ruin,  with 
the  aid  of  Paris,  in  the  Queen's  chamber.  When  all 
was  ready  for  the  match,  Paris  went  to  the  King's 
room,  and  the  Queen,  recollecting  her  promise  to  be 
present  that  night  at  a  masquerade  in  the  palace,  in 
honor  of  the  marriage  of  her  servant  Bastian,  kissed 
the  feverish  lips  of  Darnley,  and  taking  a  tender 
adieu,  hastened  with  her  suite,  including  Bothwell,  by 
the  light  of  torches,  to  the  festival.  The  King  watched 
her  receding  form  with  melancholy  sighs ;  and  as 
silence  settled  ominously  around  him,  Nelson,  stand- 
ing in  the  deserted  hall,  heard  him  repeat  the  55th 
Psalm.  By  a  singular  coincidence,  it  was  in  the 
English  evening  service  of  that  day.  Tliere  was  some- 
thing startling  and  prophetic  in  these  verses,  which 
fell  tremulously  on  the  "  electric  air  :" 

"My  heart  is  disquieted  within  me,  and  the  fear  of  death  is  fal- 
len upon  me. 

"Fearfulness  and  trembling  are  come  upon  me,  and  an  horrible 
dread  hath  overwhelmed  me. 

"And  I  said,  0  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove,  for  then  would  I  flee 
away,  and  be  at  rest. 

"  It  is  not  an  open  enemy  that  hath  done  me  this  dishonor,  for 
then  I  could  have  borne  it. 

"Neither  was  it  mine  adversary  that  did  magnify  himself  against 
me,  for  then  peradventure  I  would  have  hid  myself  from  him. 

"  But  it  was  even  thou,  my  companion,  my  guide,  and  my  own 
familiar  friend." 

After  the  excitment  of  awakened  fear  had  subsided, 
the  desolate  invalid  fell  asleep,  with  Taylor,  his  young 


172 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


page,  lying  near  him.  Botliwell  about  midniglit  left 
the  dance,  and  rejoined  his  associates.  Doffing  his 
elegant  costume  of  black  velvet  and  "satin,  for  com- 
mon apparel,  he  took  Dalgleish,  Paris,  Wilson  and 
Powrie,  and  descended  cautiously  into  the  Queen's 
garden,  directing  his  steps  toward  the  southern  gate. 
The  appearance  of  men  along  that  unfrequented  path, 
in  the  darkness  of  night,  surprised  the  sentinels  on 
guard,  and  the  quick  challenge  was  given :  "  Who  goes 
there  ? "  "  Friends !  "  answered  Powrie.  "  "Whose 
friends  ?  "  demanded  the  guards  :  "  Friends  of  Lord 
Bothwell !  "  was  the  reply.  Passing  on,  the  conspi- 
rators found  the  ITether-bon  gate,  by  which  they  in- 
tended to  leave  the  city,  shut.  Wilson  calling  to 
Galloway,  the  gate-keeper,  awoke  him,  and  desired 
him  to  "  open  the  port  to  friends  of  Lord  Bothwell ! " 
Galloway  inquired  what  they  were  doing  out  of  their 
beds  at  that  hour  of  night.  Without  answering,  they 
went  on,  and  called  for  Ormiston,  who  had  assisted  in 
getting  the  powder.  But  upon  reflection,  apprehend- 
ing personal  danger,  he  had  retired  to  bed,  and  re- 
fused to  regard  the  summons  of  Bothwell.  At  Black- 
friars  Wynd,  the  earl,  leaving  his  comrades,  proceed- 
ed alone  to  Kirk  of  Field,  to  meet  Hepburn,  and  Hay 
of  Tallo,  in  Balfour's  garden.  These  two  faithful  in- 
struments of  Bothwell  just  then  entered,  by  the  false 
keys,  into  Darnley's  apartment.  The  noise  startled 
the  unquiet  sleeper,  and  he  sprang  from  his  bed  to 
escape.  The  messengers  of  death  seized  him,  and  in 
a  moment  he  was  gasping  for  life  in  their  grasp. 
Having  strangled  the  page  in  the  same  manner,  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


173 


bodies  were  removed  to  an  orcliard  not  far  distant. 
Hepburn  tlien  lighted  the  match,  which  ran  to  the 
gunpowder  below,  and  with  Bothwell,  and  Hay  of 
Tallo,  retired  to  see  the  explosion. 

There  those  daring  cons]3irators  stood  in  the  still- 
ness of  deepest  night,  the  King's  dying  cries  yet  in 
their  ears,  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when,  with  a  ter- 
rific shock  and  noise,  the  house  flew  in  fragments, 
leaving  the  body  of  Darnley  unscathed  and  unbruised 
by  the  scattered  wreck. 

Tlie  bandits  then  went  with  speed  to  Edinburgh. 
Bothwell,  failing  on  account  of  the  arm  maimed  in 
fight,  to  climb  as  he  expected  over  a  broken  rampart, 
was  obliged  again  to  awaken  Galloway,  and  enter  by 
Nether-bon  gate.  Upon  apj^roaching  the  palace,  the 
sentinels  challenged  the  murderers,  but  permitted 
them  to  pass.  Bothwell  went  hurriedly  to  his  cham- 
ber, drank  wine  to  calm  his  agitation,  and  sought  re- 
pose. His  heart  was  still  beating  tumultuously, 
when  Hacket,  a  servant,  knocked  abruptly  at  the 
door.  It  was  opened,  and  he  entered,  the  very  ghost 
of  terror.  Bothwell,  with  great  self-command,  in- 
quired what  was  the  matter.  Hacket  answered : 
"  The  King's  house  is  blown  up,  and  I  trow  the  King 
is  slain."  Bothwell  started  with  apparent  amaze- 
ment, and  shouted,  "  Treason  !  "  Dressing  himself, 
he  was  joined  by  Huntley,  and  they  went  to  inform 
the  Queen.  The  bold  assassin  then  repaired  with  a 
band  of  soldiers  to  the  place  of  his  successful  villainy. 
At  day-break,  multitudes,  called  together  by  the  ex- 
plosion, and  the  tidings  which  followed  swiftly,  gath- 


174  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 

ered  aroimd  tlie  demolished  dwelling,  and  tlie  ghastly 
forms  of  the  King  and  his  unoffending  servant.  Both- 
well  dispersed  the  wondering  and  indignant  throng, 
and  forbidding  any  examination  of  the  bodies,  order- 
ed them  taken  to  an  adjacent  house.  The  quick  eye 
of  the  many  observers,  however,  had  noticed  the  ab- 
sence of  mutilation,  and  that  not  so  much  "  as  the 
smell  of  fire  was  on  the  garments"  of  the  dead. 
Darnley  was  buried  privately  in  the  chapel  of  Holy- 
rood.  And  now  followed  the  fierce  commotion  in  the 
world  of  thought.  The  moral  atmosphere  was  sur- 
charged with  the  elements  of  retribution,  to  fall  ere- 
long somewhere  ;  and  millions  of  minds  at  home  and 
abroad  were  feeling  for  the  fearful  secret  of  guilt.  It 
is  impossible  to  escape  the  conviction  that  Mary  was 
the  responsible  motive  of  Bothwell's  ambition,  as 
Darnley  was  the  helpless  sacrifice.  She  transmitted 
without  delay  a  communication  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Glasgow,  which  certainly  is  marked  with  extraordi- 
nary coolness  of  narration : 

"  Edinburgh,  Feb.  10,  1567: 
"  Most  Reverend  Father  in  God,  and  tnisted  Coun- 
sellor, we  greet  you  well : 

"  We  have  received  this  morning  your  letters  of 
27th  January,  by  your  servant,  Robert  Drury,  con- 
taining in  one  part  sic  advertisement  as  wo  find  l)y 
efi'ect  over  true,  albeit  the  success  has  not  altogetlier 
been  sio  as  the  authors  of  that  mischievous  fact  had 
preconceived  and  put  it  in  execution  ;  and  if  God  in 
his  mercy  had  not  preserved  us,  as  we  trust,  to  the  cud 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


175 


that  we  may  take  a  rigorous  vengeance  of  tliat  mis- 
chievous deed,  which,  ere  it  shall  remain  unpunished, 
we  had  rather  lose  life  and  all.  The  matter  is  so  hor- 
rible and  strange,  as  we  believe  the  like  was  never 
heard  of  in  any  country. 

"  This  night  past,  being  the  9th  of  February,  a  lit- 
tle after  two  hours  after  midnight,  the  house  wherein 
the  King  was  lodged  was,  in  one  instant,  blown  into 
the  air,  he  lying  asleep  in  his  bed,  with  sic  a  vehe- 
raency  that  of  the  whole  lodging,  walls  and  other, 
there  is  nothing  remaining ;  na,  not  a  stone  above  an- 
other, but  all  either  carried  far  away,  or  dang  in  dross 
to  the  very  ground  stone.  It  must  be  done  by  the 
force  of  gunpowder,  and  appears  to  have  been  a  mine. 
By  whom  it  has  been  done,  or  in  what  manner,  ap- 
pears not  yet. 

"  We  doubt  not,  but  according  to  the  diligence  our 
council  has  begun  already  to  use,  the  certainty  of  all 
shall  be  udt  shortly,  and  the  same  being  discovered, 
which  we  wot  God  will  not  suffer  to  lie  hid,  we  hope 
to  punish  the  same  with  sic  rigor  as  shall  serve  for 
example  of  this  cruelty  to  all  ages  to  come.  Always 
whoever  has  taken  this  wicked  enterprise  in  hand,  we 
assure  ourselves  it  was  dressit  as  well  for  ourself  as 
for  the  King,  (for  we  lay  for  the  most  part  of  all  last 
week  in  that  same  lodging,  and  was  there  accompa- 
nied with  the  most  part  of  the  lords  that  were  in  this 
town,)  and  that  same  night  at  midnight,  and  of  very 
chance  tarried  not  all  night  there  by  reason  of  some 
masks  at  the  abbey  (Holyrood) :  But  we  believe  it 
was  not  chance  but  God,  that  put  in  our  head. 


176 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


"  We  dispatclied  this  bearer  upon  the  sudden ;  there- 
fore write  to  jou  the  more  shortly.  Tlie  rest  of  the  letter 
we  shall  answer  at  more  leisure,  within  four  or  five 
days,  by  your  own  servant.  And  so  for  the  present 
we  commit  you  to  Almighty  God." 

Mary  appeared  crushed  with  sorrow,  but  it  took  the 
form  of  silent  dejection.  She  displayed  none  of  the 
laudable  energy  with  which  she  hunted  out  the  slay- 
ers of  Rizzio.  Keturning  to  her  chamber,  she  would 
see  none  but  Bothwell.  There  is  also  the  testimony 
recorded  by  Laing,  given  in  subsequent  trials  before 
the  judges,  and  upon  the  scaffold,  by  the  menials  in 
this  murderous  work.  From  the  reconciliation  with 
Darnley  at  Glasgow,  there  is  a  train  of  circumstantial 
evidence  of  Mary's  coinplicity,  more  conclusive  than 
that  which  has  consigned  many  a  criminal  to  the  ex- 
ecutioner's axe.  This  conviction  of  her  guilt  at  the 
tribunal  of  unbiased  judgment,  however  reluctantly 
allowed,  is  only  a  single  item  of  proof,  darkening 
the  historic  annals  of  a  fallen  race,  that  intellect, 
beauty,  and  pride  of  place  are  no  security  against  the 
insidious  and  destructive  power  of  unsubdued  selfish- 
ness, taking  the  descending  channel  of  wild  and  stormy 
passion.  IsTothing  but  Christian  humility  and  trust 
in  an  infinite  Guide,  can  save,  amid  strong  tempta- 
tions, immortality  in  a  hovel  or  on  a  throne,  from  the 
strand  of  moral  ruin. 


♦ 


CHAPTER  V. 

hart's  movements  AFl-ER  THE  DEATH  OF  DARNLET  MART  AT  SETON  

POPULAR  FEELING  THE  EARL  OF  LENNOX  WRITES  MART  LETTER  FROM 

ELIZABETH  MART's  INTIMACY  "WITH  BOTHWELL  THE  MOCK  TRIAL  AND 

ACQUITTAL  OF  THE  EARL  HIS  ARROGANCE  AND  DESIGNS  THE  BANQUET 

—  THE  NOBLES  SIGN  THE  BOND  PRATING  MART  TO  MARRT  BOTHWELL  

HIS  RUDENESS  TO  THE  QUEEN  HER  DEVOTION  TO  HIM  THE  STRATAGEM 

TO  HASTEN  THE  WEDDING  ITS  SUCCESS  MARy's  RETURN  TO  EDINBURGn 

 THE  NUPTIALS  DOMESTIC  DISCORD  EMBASSIES  REBELLION  FEEL- 
ING IN  THE  COURT  OF  CHARLES  IX.  OF  FRANCE  THE  CONFEDERATES  MARCH 

TOWARDS  BORTHWICK  CASTLE  BOTHWELL  ESCAPES  MART's  FLIGHT  — 

THE  PREPARATIONS  FOR  BATTLE  MEDIATION  OF  DE  CROC  THE  QUEEn's 

EXTREMITT  MARCH   TO  EDINBURGH  HER    DISTRESS  THE  WARRANT 

FOR  HER  IMPRISONMENT  MART  STUART  IN  LOCH  LEVEN  CASTLE. 

Mary,  immediately  after  tlie  horrors  of  tlie  King's 
assassination,  wrote  to  Archbisliop  of  Glasgow,  in 
which  she  deplored  "  that  mischievous  deed,"  and 
adds  :  "  The  matter  is  so  horrible  and  so  strange,  as 
we  believe  the  like  was  never  heard  of  in  any  coun- 
try." She  strongly  affirms  that  a  fortunate  chance 
alone  saved  her  from  sharing  the  fate  of  Darnley ; 
and  expresses  an  entire  ignorance  of  the  authors  of 
the  crime,  in  the  following  passage  :  "  By  whom  it  has 
been  done,  it  appears  not  as  yet ;  but  the  same  being 
discovered  by  the  diligence  our  council  has  begun  al- 
ready to  use,  we  hope  to  punish  the  same  with  such 


178      *         MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

rigor,  as  shall  serve  for  example  of  this  cruelty  to  all 
ages  to  come."  It  was  left  to  her  privy  council,  most 
of  whom  were  actors  in  the  regicide,  and  whose  gui- 
ding genius  was  the  remorseless  Lethington,  to  inform 
the  French  court  of  what  had  occurred.  After  ma- 
king a  favorable  impression  on  Catherine  De  Medici 
and  her  nobility,  February  12th,  she  issued  a  procla- 
mation, offering  a  reward  of  two  thousand  pounds  to 
any  one  who  would  disclose  the  murderers  of  her  hus- 
band, or  give  information  which  would  lead  to  tiieir 
detection.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  public  expression 
of  popular  feeling. 

The  convictions  of  hitherto  silent  observers  of  pass- 
ing events,  came  to  the  surface  with  fearful  distinct- 
ness and  rapidity,  as  if  past  atonement  were  made  for 
the  painful  and  brief  delay.  The  night  after  the  roy- 
al proclamation,  a  paper  was  fastened  on  the  door  of 
Tolbooth,  the  common  prison,  branding  Both  well, 
James  Balfour,  and  David  Chambers,  (a  friend  of  the 
earl)  as  the  guilty  men.  At  dead  of  night,  strange 
voices  echoed  the  same  charge  on  the  quiet  air  along 
the  streets  of  the  capital.  Placards  added  the  names 
of  the  Queen's  servants,  Bastian,  Eizzio's  brother, 
and  others,  to  the  instruments  of  crime.  Meanwhile, 
Mary  not  only  neglected  to  arrest  the  less  prominent 
conspirators,  but,  notwithstanding  the  ominous  mur- 
murs and  printed  tokens  of  indignant  opinion  around 
her  palace,  she  was  on  terms  of  familiarity  with  Both- 
well,  the  most  suspicious  and  lawless  noble  in  her 
realm.  He  followed  her  to  the  mansion  of  Lord  Se- 
ton,  where  she  went  while  the  excitement  of  the 


MARY    QT7EEN    OF  SCOTS. 


179 


masses  was  increasing  every  lionr.  But  tlie  Queen 
was  not  a  monument  of  grief,  nor  active  in  tlie  work  of 
securing  the  criminals.  Writes  Tjtler,  who  is  an  apol- 
ogist for  Mar  J ;  "It  did  not  escape  attention,  that 
scarce  two  weeks  after  her  husband's  death,  while  in 
the  country  and  in  the  city  all  were  shocked  at  the 
late  occurrences,  and  felt  them  as  a  stain  on  their  na- 
tional character,  the  court  at  Seton  was  occupied  in 
gay  amusements.  Mary  and  Bothwell  would  shoot 
at  the  butts  against  Huntley  and  Seton ;  and  on  one 
occasion,  after  winning  the  match,  they  forced  these 
lords  to  pay  the  forfeit  in  the  shape  of  a  dinner  at 
Tranent." 

Says  Mignet :  "  While  engaged  in  these  recreations, 
Mary  Stuart  was  besieged  by  the  accusing  distrust  of 
her  people,  and  the  bitter  complaints  of  the  Earl  of 
Lennox.  At  Edinburgh,  which  had  been  disturbed, 
on  the  fatal  night  of  the  9th  of  February,  by  the 
band  which  had  left  Holyrood  palace,  reports  were 
current  which  denounced  by  name  the  deviser  of  the 
assassination,  and  vaguely  indicated  his  accomplices. 
A  bill  fastened  on  the  Tron  in  the  market-place,  de- 
clared that  the  smith  who  had  furnished  the  false  keys 
to  the  King's  apartment  would,  on  due  security,  come 
forward  and  point  out  his  employers.  Two  new  pla- 
cards were  also  hung  up,  on  one  of  which  were  written 
the  Queen's  initials,  M.  K.,  with  a  hand  holding  a 
sword;  and  on  the  other  Bothwell,  with  a  mallet 
painted  above,  as  having  been  an  instrument  with 
which  the  murder  was  committed.  The  whole  city 
was  in  a  state  of  extreme  agitation.    The  Presbyte- 


180  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

rian  ministers  preached  with  sombre  vehemence,  call- 
ing on  God  '  to  reveal  and  revenge.' 

"  The  Queen  was  included  in  the  suspicions  of  the 
populace,  and  the  idea  of  her  complicity  daily  gained 
ground.  Bothwell  became  furious,  and  attempted  to 
intimidate  public  opinion.  Accompanied  by  fifty 
armed  men,  he  rode  into  Edinburgh  and  publicly  de- 
clared that  if  he  knew  who  were  the  authors  of  the 
placard,  he  would  '  wash  his  hands  in  their  blood.' 
But,  animated  by  suspicion  as  much  as  by  anger, 
whenever  he  spoke  to  any  one,  of  whose  friendship 
he  was  not  assured,  he  watched  his  movements  with 
a  jealous  eye,  and  always  kept  his  hand  on  the  hilt 
of  his  dagger." 

On  the  20tli  of  February,  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  Dam- 
ley's  father,  who  had  w^aited  vainly  for  decisive  meas- 
ures for  the  arrest  and  punishment  of  the  conspira- 
tors, wrote  Mary  most  earnestly,  to  delay  no  longer, 
lie  adds  : 

"  I  am  forced  by  nature  and  duty  to  beseech  your 
majesty  most  humbly,  for  God's  cause,  and  the  honor 
of  your  majesty,  and  this  your  realm,  that  your  high- 
ness would,  with  convenient  diligence,  assemble  the 
whole  nobility  and  estates  of  your  majesty's  realm,  and 
they,  by  your  advice,  to  take  such  good  order  for  the 
perfect  trial  of  the  matter,  as  I  doubt  not  but,  with 
the  grace  of  Almighty  God,  his  Holy  Spirit  shall  so 
work  upon  the  hearts  of  your  majesty  and  all  your 
faithful  subjects,  as  the  bloody  and  cruel  actors  of 
this  deed  shall  be  manifestly  known.    And  although 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


181 


I  know  I  need  not  put  your  majesty  in  remembrance 
tlicreof,  tlie  matter  toucliing  your  majesty  so  near  as 
it  does,  yet  I  shall  humbly  desire  your  majesty  to 
bear  with  me,  in  troubling  your  highness  therein, 
being  the  father  of  him  that  is  gone." 

Tlie  Queen  kindly  responded,  but  adroitly  passing 
by  the  main  point,  told  him  that  the  first  business 
before  her  Parliament,  already  summoned,  would  be 
to  press  rigorously  the  investigation  of  "  the  King, 
her  husband's  cruel  slaughter." 

Meanwhile,  her  servants,  who  had  been  denounced, 
fled  from  the  kingdom ;  Powrie  and  Wilson,  at  Both- 
well's  order,  went  to  the  Castle  of  Hermitage,  on  the 
English  frontier  ;  while  the  Earl  of  Lennox  renewed 
]iis  entreaties,  urging  that  the  deed  of  darkness  was 
above  the  usual  course  of  Parliamentary  debate  ;  "of 
such  weight  and  importance,  which  ought  rather  to 
be  with  all  expedition  sought  out  and  punished  to  the 
example  of  the  whole  world." 

In  regard  to  the  placards  to  which  Lennox  alluded 
in  his  appeal,  Mary  said  in  reply,  that  while  they 
were  contradictory,  "  if  there  be  any  names  mentioned 
in  them  that  you  think  worthy  to  suffer  a  trial,  upon 
your  advertisement,  we  shall  so  proceed  to  the  cogni- 
tion taking  as  may  stand  with  the  laws  of  the  realm  ; 
and  being  found  culpable,  shall  see  the  punishment 
as  vigorously  executed,  as  the  weight  of  the  crime 
deserves." 

Elizabeth  was  not  an  indifferent  spectator  of  recent 
events.    She  sent  a  message  by  Sir  Henry  Killigrew, 


182  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

wliicli  disclosed  li or  suspicions  and  ripening  dislike  of 
Mary  Stuart : 

"Madam,  my  ears  liave  been  so  astonished,  and 
my  mind  so  grieved,  and  my  heart  so  terrified,  at  hear- 
ing the  horrible  sound  of  the  abominable  murder  of 
your  late  husband  and  my  deceased  cousin,  that  I 
have  even  now  no  sj)irit  to  write  about  it ;  and  al- 
though my  natural  feelings  constrain  me  greatly  to 
deplore  his  death,  as  he  was  so  near  a  relation  to  me. 
nevertheless,  boldly  to  tell  you  what  I  think,  I  can- 
not conceal  from  myself  that  I  am  m.ore  full  of  grief 
on  your  account  than  on  his.  O  madam !  I  should 
not  perform  the  part  of  a  faithful  cousin  or  an  affection- 
ate friend,  if  I  studied  rather  to  please  yonr  ears  than 
to  endeavor  to  preserve  your  honor ;  therefore  I  will 
not  conceal  from  you  what  most  persons  say  about  the 
matter,  namely,  that  you  will  look  through  yonr  fin- 
gers at  taking  vengence  for  this  deed,  and  have  no  inten- 
tion to  touch  those  who  have  done  you  this  kindness,  as 
if  the  act  would  not  have  been  perpetrated  unless  the 
murderers  had  received  assurance  of  their  impunity. 
Tliink  of  me,  I  beg  you,  who  would  not  entertain  such 
a  thought  in  my  heart  for  all  the  gold  in  the  world. 
I  exhort  you,  I  advise  and  beseech  you  to  take  this 
thing  so  much  to  heart,  as  not  to  fear  to  bring  to  judg- 
ment the  nearest  relation  you  have,  and  to  let  no 
persuasion  hinder  you  from  manifesting  to  the  world 
that  you  are  a  noble  princess,  and  also  a  loyal  wife." 

In  France  the  impression  was  spreading  that  Mary 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 


183 


was  guilty,  and  lier  reverend  friend,  the  Arclibisliop 
of  Glasgow,  implored  her  for  lier  own  sake,  to  visit 
tlie  merited  vengeance  upon  the  heads  of  the  regicides. 
But  the  weeks  departed,  and  nothing  was  done  by  the 
Queen  to  vindicate  her  sullied  honor. 

She  continued,  without  interruption,  her  intimacy 
with  Bothwell,  and  lavished  upon  him  royal  favors. 
She  gave  him  the  command  of  the  Castle  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  added  other  desirable  seats  to  his  posses- 
sions. Compelled  at  length,  by  the  pressure  of  remons- 
trances and  popular  feeling,  to  abandon  the  posture 
of  indifference,  Mary  called  a  council,  of  which  Both- 
well  was  a  member,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  no- 
bles, decided  to  bring  the  earl  to  trial.  With  singular 
haste,  she  ordered  Lennox  to  appear  on  the  12th  of 
April,  two  weeks  after  the  meeting  of  council,  and 
sustain  his  accusations  against  Bothwell.  Public 
rumor  had  singled  out  this  daring  favorite  of  Mary. 
'No  man  was  bold  enough  to  testify  in  court  to  his 
criminality ;  he  was  no  common  adversay,  and  fear 
guarded  his  person,  while  scorn  grew  intense  from 
the  dread  of  his  wrath. 

The  artizan  who  wrought  the  false  keys  to  Dam- 
ley's  chamber,  refused  to  reveal  his  knowledge  of  the 
conspiracy,  because  the  security  demanded  was  not 
furnished.  Lennox  urged  that  "  the  suspected  per- 
sons continuing  still  at  liberty,  being  great  at  court, 
and  about  your  majesty's  person,  comforts  and  en- 
courages them  and  theirs,  and  discourages  all  others 
that  would  give  an  evidence  against  them." 

Elizabeth  joined  with  the  dereaved  father,  in  advi&- 


184 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ing  tlie  same  measures,  and  sufficient  time  to  procure 
evidence  whicli  would  convict  tlie  guilty.  Warning 
Mary  of  the  universal  abhorrence  the  unanswered 
charge  of  so  base  a  crime  would  kindle,  she  concludes, 
"  And  rather  than  this  should  happen  to  jou,  I  would 
wish  you  an  honorable  burial  more  than  a  sullied 
life.  I  pray  the  Lord  to  inspire  you  to  do  what  may 
most  conduce  to  your  honor  and  the  consolation  of 
your  friends."  There  is,  in  this  wise  counsel,  a  dig- 
nified sense  of  queenly  honor,  and  a  real  kindness, 
which  soften  the  imperious  nature  of  the  masculine 
Elizabeth. 

Tlie  infatuated  Queen  remained  unmoved  in  her 
fidelity  to  the  aspiring  Bothwell,  who  was  allowed  to 
arrange  the  preliminaries  of  a  mock  trial.  On  April 
12th,  the  day  appointed,  the  assize  oppened  at  the 
Tolbooth,  before  a  jury  of  noblemen,  Bothwell's  peers 
and  partizans.  Tlie  tribunal  was  presided  over  by 
one  of  the  fautors  of  the  murder,  the  Earl  of  Argyle, 
then  hereditary  lord  high  justice,  and  guarded  by 
two  hundred  hackbutters ;  while  four  thousand  of 
Bothwell's  armed  adherents  mustered  in  the  streets 
and  squares  of  Edinburgh.  The  law  ofiicers  of  the 
crown  were  either  bribed  or  intimidated  into  silence  ; 
no  witnesses  were  summoned.  The  accuser,  the  Earl 
of  Lennox,  who  was  on  his  road  to  the  city,  surrounded 
by  a  large  force  of  his  friends,  received  orders  not  to 
enter  Edinburgh  with  more  than  six  in  his  company  ; 
and  he,  therefore,  declined  to  come  forward  in  person. 
The  accused,  the  Earl  of  Bothwell,  presented  himself 
before  the  court  of  justice  with  a  confident  and  care- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


185 


less  air.  Mounted  on  the  late  King's  favorite  horse, 
and  surrounded  by  guards,  he  was  escorted  to  the 
Tolbooth,  with  base  obsequiousness,  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  gentlemen.  As  he  passed  before  the  Queen, 
who  was  standing  with  lady  Lethington,  at  one  of  the 
windows  of  Holyrood  Palace,  he  turned  towards  her, 
and  she  gave  him  a  friendly  greeting  for  a  farewell. 
She  expressed  her  sympathy  with  his  position  even 
more  publicly,  by  sending  him,  rather  from  impa- 
tience than  anxiety,  a  token  and  message  whilst  he 
was  before  his  judges." 

The  indefinite  indictment,  implicating  Bothwell,  was 
read  in  court ;  Lennox  appeared  by  proxy,  requesting 
farther  delay ;  the  crown  lawyers  were  mute ;  the 
earl  pleaded  not  guilty,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  tes- 
timony, he  was  unanimously  acquitted.  Emboldened 
by  the  victory,  he  published  a  haughty  challenge  to 
any  gentleman,  who  dared  to  whisper  against  him 
the  accusation  of  murder,  to  meet  him  in  private 
combat,  and  test  with  a  duel  their  cause.  The  arro- 
gant earl  now  swept  opposition  and  rivalry  from  his 
path  of  bloody  renown,  as  a  hunted  lion,  whose  pur- 
suers are  at  bay,  treads  proudly  on  the  crushed  foli- 
age of  his  forest  lair,  and  in  turn  looks  defiantly 
about  him  for  prey.  Mary  created  him  high  admi- 
ral, and  lost  no  opportunity  to  increase  his  power  and 
honors. 

Lennox  fled  to  England,  and  Murray  to  France. 

Parh'ament  assembled  two  days  after  the  judicial 
farce,  and  Bothwell  was  chosen,  by  Mary,  to  bear  the 
crown  and  sceptre  before  her,  when  she  entered  the 


186  MARY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 

hall  to  make  lier  opening  speech.  The  sentence  of 
the  jury  was  ratified  by  the  estates  of  Scotland,  and 
the  friends  of  Bothwell  vv^ere  rewarded.  Tlie  Queen, 
to  please  the  earl  and  conciliate  the  Presbyterians, 
abolished  all  statutes  restricting  the  free  enjoyment 
of  divine  worship  according  to  the  conscience  of  her 
Protestant  subjects,  and  made  provision  for  the  poor 
clergy.  But  the  stern  Puritans  were  not  so  bribed, 
and  maintained  their  attitude  of  condemnation  of 
both  herself,  and  the  infamous  noble,  whose  attentions 
to  her  were  growing  daily  more  offensive  to  her  peo- 
ple. Even  the  market  women  would  exclaim,  as 
Mary  passed,  "  God  preserve  your  grace,  if  you  are 
socldess  "  of  the  Kings  death." 

Bothwell  had  reached  an  elevation,  from  which  he 
gazed  upward  to  the  dazzling  summit  of  his  hopes, 
with  but  two  intervening  objects — ^his  wife,  and  the 
young  prince.  A  divorce  would  remove  the  first,  and 
the  second  he  believed  would  disappear  after  he  had 
secured  the  hand  of  Mary.  These  vaulting  deeds 
were  anticipated  by  discerning  observers.  Bothwell's 
might  and  revenge  prevented  the  utterance  to  the 
Queen  of  the  distressful  apprehension.  Lord  Herries, 
however,  with  great  moral  courage,  traveled  with  the 
speed  of  a  courier  to  Edinburgh,  and  besought  her 
not  to  marry  a  man  universally  thought  to  be  the 
assassin  of  the  King.  Mary  affected  surprise,  and 
denied  the  story.  Failing  in  his  mission.  Lord  Her- 
ries liastened  from  the  danger  while  in  ^gothwell's 


*  Innocent. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


187 


reach,  and  by  relays  of  hoi-ses,  escaped  to  liis  distant 
castle. 

Melvil  also  mentioned  ttie  exciting  subject  to  tbe 
Queen,  who  related  the  interview  to  Bothwell.  The 
cautious  Lethington  apprised  Melvil  of  his  perilous 
loyalty,  in  the  following  conversation  :  "  So  soon  as 
the  Earl  Bothwell  gets  word,  as  I  fear  he  will,  lie  will 
not  fail  to  slay  you.  I  pray  you  retire-  with  dili- 
gence." "  It  is  a  sore  matter,"  replied  Melvil,  to  see 
that  good  princess  run  to  utter  wreck,  and  nobody 
to  forewarn  her."  "  You  have  done  more  honestly 
than  wisely,"  said  Lethington. 

Bothwell  was  enraged,  and  sought  Melvil's  life, 
who  secreted  himself  until  Mary  had  calmed  his  pas- 
sions. The  earl  went  fearlessly  forward  wdth  his 
designs.  On  the  19th  of  April,  when  Parliament 
rose,  he  invited  to  a  banquet,  the  Earls  of  Morton, 
Argyle,  Huntly,  Cassilis,  Glencairn,  Rothes,  Suther- 
land, Caithness,  and  Eglinton,  mth  Lords  Boyd,  Se- 
ton,  Sinclair,  Semple,  Oliphant,  Oglivy,  Ross,  Hac- 
cat,  Carlile,  Hume,  Livemeith,  and  others.  Bothwell 
then  informed  the  assembly,  that,  with  the  Queen's 
consent  already  given,  he  designed  to  marry  her,  and 
desired  their  assent. 

Tlie  place  of  festivity  was  environed  with  armed 
men,  to  overawe  the  guests.  There  was  a  sudden 
change  in  the  aspect  of  that  brilKant  array  of  nobi- 
hty,  and  agitation  was  visible  on  all  faces  but  the 
tyi-ant's,  on  whom  they  gazed  with  silent  submission. 
The  Earl^f  Eglinton,  in  the  commotion  of  the  sue- 
ceeding  moments,  made  his  escape.    The  rest  bowod 


188  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 

to  tlie  dictation  of  the  successful  admirer  of  their 
Queen,  and  the  jeweled  crown  slie  wore. 

The  memorial  of  the  nobles,  praying  the  Queen  to 
marry  Bothwell,  after  vindicating  him  in  the  Darn- 
ley  affair,  as  a  man  "  slandered  by  his  evill  willers 
and  privy  enemies ; "  and  enumerating  his  ancient 
honors,  closes  with  this  passage  : 

"  In  moreover  weighing  and  considering  the  time, 
and  present,  and  howe  the  Queen's  Ma^^®,  our  sover- 
aigne,  is  now  destitute  of  husband,  in  which  solitary 
state  the  common  weale  of  this  our  native  country, 
may  not  permit  her  hignes  always  to  remain  and  in- 
dure,  but  at  sometime  her  highnes  in  appearance  may 
be  inclined  to  yield  to  the  marriage  ;  therefore,  in 
case  the  affectionate  and  faithful  service  of  the  said 
Earl  done  to  her  Ma*^®,  prove  true  to  him,  and  his 
other  good  qualities  and  behauiour  may  move  her 
Ma*^®  safer  to  humble  herself  (as  prefering  one  of  her 
own  borne  subjects  unto  all  foreign  princes)  to  take 
to  husband  the  said  Earl  B.,  and  every  one  us  of  un- 
der subscribed,  uppon  our  honours,  truthe  and  fidel- 
ite  oblige  us,  and  permit  not  only  advance  and  forth- 
ward  the  said  marriage  to  be  solemnized  complete 
betwixt  her  highnes  and  the  said  noble  Lord  with  our 
wittes,  counsayle,  fortificacon  and  assistance  in  worde 
and  deede,  at  suche  times  as  it  shall  please  her  Ma*^®  to 
thinke  it  convenient,  and  how  soon  the  laws  shall 
leave  it  to  be  done.  But  in  case  any  would  presume 
directly  or  indirectly,  o]3only  or  under  whatsoever 
colour  or  pretence,  to  hinder,  hold  back  or  disturb  tho 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  189 

said  marriage,  we  shall  in  that  behalf  esteeme,  hold 
and  repute  the  hinderers  and  disturbers  and  adversa- 
ries thereof  as  comon  enemies  and  evill  willers,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  same,  take  part  and  fortifie  the 
said  Erie  to  the  said  marriage  as  far  as  it  please  our 
said  Soueraigne  Ladie  to  allow,  and  therein  shall  .  . 
and  bestow  our  lives  and  goodes  against  all  that  live 
or  die  only.  As  we  shall  answer  to  God,  and  uppon 
our  honor  and  fidelitie,  and  in  case  we  doe  the  contrary 
never  to  have  reputacion,  lionestie  nor  credit  in  our 
time  hereafter,  but  be  accomptedunworthie  faytheles 
Traytours.  In  witness  of  the  which  we  have  sub- 
scribed these  particulars  with  our  handes  as  foUow- 
eth.  At  Eds  the  xix  of  Aprile,  the  year  of  our  God 
1567  yeares. 

"  To  this  the  Queene  gave  her  consent  the  night 
before  the  marriage  took  place,  which  was  the  viii 
day  of  May  the  yeare  of  our  God  foresaid  in  this — . 

"  Tlie  Queen's  Ma*^®,  having  seen  and  considered 
the  bond  aboue  written,  promised  in  the  name  of  a 
Prince  that  she  uows  her  successors  shall  never  im- 
pute as  cry  me  nor  offence  to  any  of  the  persons  sub- 
scribed thereof  their  subniycon  or  consent  given  to 
the  matter  conteyned  therein.  'Nor  that  they  nor 
there  heires  shall  never  be  called  or  .  therefore.  Nor 
yet  shall  the  said  consent  or  subscribing  be  any  deroga- 
conorspottto  their  honour  or  they  .  .  .  undutiful  sub- 
jects for  doing  thereof,  notwithstanding  whatsoever 
thing  may  ...  or  be  alleged  on  the  contrary. .  In 
witnes  whereof  her  Ma*^®  hath  subscribed  the  same 
with  her  own  hand. 


190 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


"  The  names  of  sucli  of  the  I^obility  as  subscribed 
to  tlie  Bond,  so  far  as  John  Read  might  remember, 
of  whom  I  had  tliis  Copy  being  his  own  hand.  Be- 
ing commonly  termed  in  Scotland  Aynsters  Supper. 

The  Erles  of  Lords 
Murray       Morton  Boyd  Rosse 

Argile  Sutherland  Seyton  Ilerris 
Huntley      Rothis  Sinclair  Hume 

Cassiles       Glencaren      Semple  Eumermeth 
Cathnesse  Oliphant  Eglintoun  sub- 

Oglivy     scribed  not  but 
slipped  away. 

Mary  had  given  her  signature  to  a  promise  of  mar- 
riage, as  follows  : 

"  We,  Mary,  by  the  grace  of  God,  Queen  of  Scot- 
land, Dowager  of  France,  &c.,  promise  faithfully, 
sincerely,  and  without  constraint,  James  Hepburn, 
Earl  of  Boduil,  never  to  have  any  other  spouse  and 
husband  but  him,  and  to  take  him  for  such  whenever 
he  shall  require,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  relation, 
friend,  or  any  others  ;  and  as  God  has  taken  my  late 
husband,  Henry  Stewart,  called  Darnley,  and  in  con- 
sequence I  am  free,  not  being  under  the  authority  of 
either  father  or  mother ;  I,  therefore,  protest  that  he, 
having  the  same  liberty,  I  shall  be  ready  to  perform 
the  ceremony  requisite  for  marriage,  which  I  promise 
him  before  God,  whom  I  call  you  to  witness,  and  the 
subjoined  signature,  by  my  hand,  written  this  .   .  . 

"MaryR." 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 


191 


Bothwell,  in  the  meantime,  began  to  exliibit  liis  un- 
restrained temper  in  -uncivil  deportment  towards 
Mary,  and  insisted  on  the  substitution  of  his  sister  in 
the  place  of  Lady  Beres,  the  Queen's  confidant.  An 
extract  from  a  letter  to  the  earl,  will  show  the  humil- 
iating thraldom  of  her  heart :  "  I  will  take  such  (ser- 
vants) as  shall  content  you  for  their  conditions.  I 
beseech  you  that  an  opinion  of  another  person  be 
not  hurtful  in  your  mind  to  my  constancy.  Mistrust 
me  but  when  I  will  put  you  out  of  doubt,  and  clear 
myself  Refuse  it  not,  my  dear  life,  and  suffer  me  to 
make  you  some  proof  by  my  obedience,  my  faithful- 
ness, constancy,  and  voluntary  subjection."  Among 
the  secret  letters  of  the  silver  casket,  whose  authen- 
ticity, though  denied  by  partizans  of  Mary,  has  not 
been  disproved,  was  found  a  contract,  dated  a  week 
before  Bothwell's  acquittal,  signed  by  her,  committing 
hei*self  to  the  marriage.  It  was  too  recently  that 
Darnley  was  buried  to  permit  a  wedding,  and  the  only 
alternative  was  the  resort  to  a  ruse.  It  was  arranged 
that  the  earl  should  intercept  the  Queen,  upon  her  re- 
turn from  a  visit  to  the  prince  at  Stirling  Castle,  and 
with  a  superior  force  make  her  his  captive. 

This  would  afford  an  opology  for  submission,  and 
slo2'>e  the  way  to  his  feet,  where  she  was  panting  to 
resign  person  and  will  to  the  embrace  of  her  Moloch. 
Iluntley,  who  was  entrusted  with  the  secret,  used  his 
persuasion  to  change  her  purpose.  She  immediately 
communicated  her  distrust  of  him  to  the  earl.  "  He 
preached  to  me  that  it  was  a  foolish  enterprise,  and 
that  with  mine  honor  I  could  never  marry  you,  seeing 


192 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


that  being  married  you  did  carry  me  away,  and  that 
his  folks  would  not  sulfer  it,  and  that  the  lords  would 
unsay  themselves,  and  would  deny  that  they  had  said. 
I  told  him  that,  seeing  I  was  come  so  far,  if  you  did 
not  withdraw  yourself  of  yourself,  that  no  persuasion, 
nor  death  itself,  should  make  me  fail  of  my  promise." 

Again  she  addresses  him  on  the  subject  of  the  ab- 
duction with  enthusiasm :  "  As  for  the  handling  of 
myself,  I  heard  it  once  well  devised.  Methinks  that 
your  services  and  long  friendship,  having  the  good 
will  of  the  lords,  do  well  deserve  a  pardon,  if  above 
the  duty  of  a  subject  you  advance  yourself,  not  to 
constrain  me,  but  to  assure  yourself  of  such  high 
place  nigh  unto  me,  that  other  admonitions,  or  foreign 
persuasions  may  not  let  (hinder)  me  from  consenting 
to  that  that  you  hope  your  service  shall  make  you  one 
day  to  attain  ;  and  to  be  short,  to  make  yourself  sure 
of  the  lords,  and  free  to  marry ;  and  that  you  are  con- 
strained for  your  safety,  and  to  be  able  to  serve  me 
faithfully,  to  use  an  humble  request,  joined  to  an  im- 
portunate action." 

There  were  unforseen  obstacles  to  the  success  of  the 
stratagem,  which  appeared  as  the  time  appointed  ap- 
proached. The  Earl  of  Sutherland  declared  that 
death  w^as  preferable  to  the  Queen's  capture  while 
under  his  protection  ;  and  Huntley  was  fearful  of  be- 
ing accused  of  infidelity  and  treachery  in  the  adven- 
ture. Mary  apprized  Bothwell  of  these  annoyances, 
and  concludes : 

"  I  have  thought  good  to  advertise  you  of  the  fear 
he  hath,  that  he  should  be  charged  and  accused  of 


MART    QUEEN     OF    SCOTS.  193 

treason,  to  tlie  end  tliat,  without  mistrusting  liim,  you 
may  be  tlie  more  circumspect,  and  that  you  may  have 
the  more  power ;  for  we  had  yesterday  more  than 
three  hundred  horse  of  his  and  of  Livingston's.  For 
the  honor  of  God  be  accompanied  rather  with  more 
than  less  ;  for  that  is  the  principal  of  my  care." 

April  21st,  1567,  Mary  Stuart  proceeded  to  Stirling 
Castle.  The  Earl  of  Mar,  y^^ho  had  charge  of  young 
James,  from  some  suspicion,  refused  admission  to 
more  than  two  ladies  with  the  Queen,  into  the  royal 
apartment.  The  24:th  she  left  Stirling  for  Edinburgh, 
and  at  Almond  Bridge  was  met  by  Both  well's  force 
of  six  hundred  horsemen.  He  seized  Mary's  horse  by 
the  bridle,  and  led  her,  without  conflict,  to  his  Castle 
of  Dunbar.  Huntley,  Melvil,  and  Lethington  were 
taken  with  her  into  captivity.  When  Melvil  com- 
plained of  the  rude  treatment.  Captain  Blacater  re- 
plied that  it  was  with  the  Queen's  consent.  This  roy- 
al and  romantic  forage  of  the  earl,  was  the  first  act 
in  the  drama  of  guilty  and  suicidal  passion ;  the  next 
was  the  divorce  of  Lady  Jane  Gordon,  Bothwell's 
wife.  The  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  was  bribed  to 
give  the  sentence  of  his  court  favorably ;  and  on  the 
3d  of  May,  the  Catholic  church,  in  behalf  of  Mary, 
and  the  Presbyterian  church  for  the  Protestant  earl, 
declared  the  sentence  of  divorce. 

The  same  day  the  Queen  returned  to  Edinburgh, 
with  her  accustomed  cheerfulness  and  pageantry. 
When  she  came  to  the  gates  of  the  city.  Both  well, 
vv^ith  great  respect,  laid  his  hand  on  the  bridle  of  Ma- 
ry's horse,  and  his  soldiers  then  threw  down  their 

I  13 


194 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


spears,  as  the  signal  that  their  sovereign  was  net  only 
free,  but  her  lover  was  no  more  than  a  humble, 
improtected  servant  of  her  majesty.  Tlie  Queen 
expressed  publicly  her  unconditional  pardon  of  Both- 
well,  and  her  determination  to  marry  him..  Notwith- 
standing the  universal  anticipation  of  the  event,  the 
distinct  avowal  of  it  by  Mary  Stuart  sent  a  wave  of 
burning  indignation  over  the  realm.  When  tlie  order 
to  publish  the  bans  of  marriage  was  sent  to  the  Re- 
formed church,  there  was  a  prompt  and  spirited 
refusal.  Knox  was  in  England ;  Craig,  his  representa- 
tive, gave  the  reason,  that  the  Queen  had  not  trans- 
mitted a  written  command.  The  justice  clerk  imme- 
diately furnished  the  paper,  and  Craig  desired  to  meet 
the  privy  council.  This  was  granted  ;  and  when  the 
fearless  man  of  God  confronted  Bothwell,  it  was  like 
the  meeting  of  the  Hebrew  prophet  and  Ahab,  while 
the  sanguinary  monarch  quailed  before  the  fiery  de- 
nunciations of  the  untremulous  reprover.  He  charged 
home  upon  the  astonished  no  jie  his  crimes,  and  set 
before  him  "  righteousness,  cemperance,  and  a  judg- 
ment to  come."  Having  cleared  his  conscience,  he 
read  in  the  sanctuary  the  hated  bans,  and  added : 
"  I  take  heaven  and  earth  to  witness,  that  I  abhor 
and  detest  this  marriage,  as  odious  and  slanderous  to 
the  world,  and  I  w^ould  exhort  the  faithful  to  pray 
earnestly  that  a  union  against  all  reason  and  good 
conscience  may  yet  be  overruled  by  God,  to  the  com- 
fort of  this  vmhappy  realm." 

Unmoved  in  her  delirium  of  love  by  outward  com- 
motion, Mary,  on  the  12th  of  May,  appeared  in  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


19J 


High  Court  of  Edinburgh,  and  made  a  declaration  of 
her  entire  reconciliation  to  Bothwell,  and  her  ii  • 
tention  to  increase  his  honors.  He  was  made  Duk  j 
of  Orkney  and  Shetland,  receiving  the  coronet  from 
the  hand  of  the  Queen.  Two  days  later,  she  signed 
the  marriage  contract ;  anxi  the  next  morning  at  J: 
o'clock  the  nuptials  were  celebrated  in  Holyrood  pal- 
ace according  to  Catholic  form,  and  in  the  Protestant 
church  by  Bishop  of  Orkney.  The  attendance  of  the 
nobility  was  small,  and  there  was  in  the  event,  instead 
of  joy  heralding  future  good,  to  the  popular  mind, 
something  deeply  ominous  of  coming  evil.  The  ti- 
dings spread  with  the  morning  light,  like  a  political 
and  moral  eclipse,  darkening  the  land.  On  the  pal- 
ace gates  was  found  this  significant  line  from  Ovid : 

"  Mense  malas  maio  nubere  vulgus  ait." 

It  is  not  strange  that  with  such  tokens,  an  unholy 
alliance,  consummated  within  three  months  after 
Darnley's  death,  the  wedding  day  should  be  distin- 
guished by  a  domestic  quarrel.  De  Croc  wrote  to 
Catherine  and  Charles  IX.,  of  France,  on  the  revolt- 
ing affair : 

^'Tour  majesties  could  not  do  better  than  be  very 
displeased  with  the  marriage,  for  it  is  a  very  unfortu- 
nate one,  and  already  is  repented  of.  On  Thursday 
(May  15th)  her  majesty  sent  forme  to  inquire  wheth- 
er I  had  perceived  any  strangeness  between  her  and 
her  husband ;  which  she  washed  to  excuse  to  me, 
Baying,  that  if  I  saw  she  was  sorrowful,  it  was  because 


196 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCO  !  8. 


she  would  not  rejoice,  as  she  says  she  never  will 
again,  and  desires  only  death.  Yesterday  (May  16th) 
being  both  in  a  closet  with  the  Earl  of  Bothwell,  she 
called  out  aloud  for  some  one  to  give  her  a  knife  that 
she  might  kill  herself.  Those  who  were  in  the  adjoin- 
ing room  heard  her.  They  think  that  unless  God  aids 
her,  she  will  fall  into  despair." 

The  storm  passed,  and  Mary  dispatched  ambassa- 
dors to  foreign  courts  to  obtain  their  recognition  of 
Bothwell  as  her  lawful  husband.  She  affirmed  that 
her  nobility  urged  the  marriage,  and  the  brilliant 
qualities  of  the  faithful  lord  entitled  him  to  the  dis- 
tinction.  Apologizing  for  Bothwell's  violence,  she 
directed  the  Bishop  of  Dumblane,  commissioned  to 
France  and  Rome,  to  add  that  the  civil  commotions 
in  her  kingdom  made  an  alliance  with  a  foreign 
prince  impossible,  while  among  her  own  subjects  the 
Earl  of  Bothwell  was  prominent,  incomparably  so,  in 
wisdom,  heroism,  and  ancestral  honors.  She  there- 
fore yielded  without  repugnance  to  the  wish  of  the 
three  estates  of  her  realm.  Melvil,  who  went  to  the 
court  of  Elizabeth,  was  to  offer  Bothwell's  acquittal 
in  reply  to  the  suspicion  of  his  connection  with  Darn- 
ley's  murder,  and  his  legal  divorce,  in  answer  to  the 
charge  of  marrying  while  another  wife  was  living. 

Bothwell  wrote  to  the  Queen  of  England  in  a  royal 
strain.  He  said  :  "Men  of  greater  birth  might  have 
been  preferred  to  the  high  station  I  now  occupy,  but 
none  could  have  been  chosen  more  zealous  for  the 
preservation  of  your  majesty's  friendship,  of  which 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


197 


you  shall  liave  experience  at  any  time  it  may  be  yoar 
pleasure  to  employ  me."  Having  gathered  into  his 
hands  the  reins  of  authority  in  Scotland,  he  anticipa- 
ted quick  success  in  the  endeavor  to  gain  the  favor 
of  the  adjacent  powers.  But  beneath  this  apparent 
calm,  were  dark  and  turbulent  elements  of  retribution. 
The  triumphs  of  lawless  affection  and  advancing  great- 
ness, were  like  the  delusive  tranquillity  and  glare  of  a 
torrid  day,  when  it  is  the  prelude  to  an  earthquake's  des- 
olating march.  A  league,  dating  back  before  the  mar- 
riage of  Mary,  had  bound  together  in  confederation 
against  Bothwell,  the  principal  nobles  of  Scotland. 
And  now  that  Bothwell  aspired  to  remove  the  prince 
from  his  path  of  homicidal  glory,  and  the  might  to 
do  it  was  already  in  his  grasp,  the  slumbering  rebel- 
lion awoke.  It  was  the  ripe  harvest  of  embittered 
feeling  which  the  Laird  of  Grange  had  expressed  in 
a  communication  to  Earl  of  Bedford,  about  the  time 
of  Mary's  seizure  by  Bothwell :  This  Queen  will 
never  cease  unto  such  time  as  she  have  wrecked  all 
the  honest  men  of  this  realm.  She  was  minded  to 
cause  Bothwell  to  ravish  (seize)  her,  to  the  end  that 
she  may  the  sooner  end  the  marriage  which  she  prom- 
ised before  she  caused  Bothwell  to  murder  her  hus- 
band. There  is  many  that  would  revenge  the  mur- 
der, but  they  fear  your  mistress.  I  am  so  suited  for 
to  enterprize  the  revenge,  that  I  must  either  take  it 
upon  hand,  or  else  I  must  leave  the  country,  the 
which  1  am  determined  to  do,  if  I  can  obtain  license. 
I  pray  your  lordship,  let  me  know  what  your  mistress 
will  do,  for  if  we  will  seek  France,  we  may  find  favor 


198 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


at  their  hands."  In  a  letter  addressed  a  few  days 
later  to  Bedford,  he  gives  an  outline  of  the  proposed 
campaign : 

"  The  heads  that  presently  thej  agreed  upon,  is, 
first,  to  seek  the  liberty  of  the  Queen,  who  is  ravish- 
ed and  detained  by  the  Earl  of  Both  well,  who  was 
the  ravisher,  and  hath  the  strengths,  munitions  and 
men  of  war  at  his  commandment.  The  next  head  is, 
the  preservation  and  keeping  of  the  j^rince.  The 
third  is,  to  pursue  them  that  murdered  the  King. 
For  the  pursuit  of  these  three  heads,  they  have  prom- 
ised to  bestow  their  lives,  lands  and  goods.  And  to 
that  effect  their  lordships  have  desired  me  to  write 
unto  your  lordship,  to  the  end  they  might  have  your 
sovereign's  aid  and  support  for  suppressing  of  the 
cruel  murderer,  Bothwell,  who,  at  the  Queen's  last 
being  in  Stirling,  suborned  certain  to  have  poisoned 
the  prince  ;  for  that  barbarous  tyrant  is  not  contented 
to  have  murdered  the  father,  but  he  would  also  cut 
off  the  son,  for  fear  that  he  hath  to  be  punished 
hereafter.  The  names  of  the  lords  that  convened  in 
Stirling  w^as  the  Earls  of  Argyle,  Morton,  Athol,  and 

Mar  There  is  to  be  joined  with  the 

four  forenamed  lords,  the  Earls  of  Glencairn,  Cassil- 
is,  Eglinton,  Montrose,  Caithness ;  the  Lords  Boyd, 
•Ochiltree,  Ruthven,  Drummond,  Gray,  Glammis,  In- 
nermeith,  Lindsay,  Hume  and  Ilerries." 

As  an  index  of  the  prevalent  disaffection,  there  is 
the  fact  of  Melvil's  connection  with  the  civil  outbreak, 


Mary  queen  of  scots.  199 

wlio  was  Mary's  favorite,  and  minister  to  England 
just  before  the  open  revolt.  lie  united  Lis  appeal 
with  the  lairds  to  Elizabeth,  for  aid  in  avenging  the 
King's  death,  and  touched  a  cliord  of  anxious  interest, 
hy  intimating  that  France  would  come  to  their  help, 
if  she  refused. 

In  the  secret  instructions  of  Charles  IX.  to  De 
Croc,  we  have  a  glimpse  of  Mary's  reputation  in  his 
court,  and  his  purpose,  rather  than  let  Scotland  be 
absorbed  by  England,  to  desert  the  Queen,  and  assist 
the  rebellious  nobles.  "The  said  Sieur  de  Yilleroy 
will  say,  that  his  majesty  having  made  known  to  him 
the  opinion  which  he  entertains  of  the  pitiable  suc- 
cess of  the  affairs  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland,  seeing 
what  has  been  written  to  him  of  her  behavior  by  the 
said  Sieur  de  Croc,  and  the  strange  news  which  he 
has  received  from  other  quarters  ;  and  being  also  con- 
cerned that  the  enterprise  of  the  said  lords  is  secretly 
assisted  and  favored  by  the  English  —  whose  charity 
would  only  entail  their  ruin  —  the  King  wishes  the 
said  Sieur  de  Croc  to  know,  that  the  desire  and  prin- 
cipal intention  of  his  majesty  is  to  keep  the  kingdom 
of  Scotland  in  its  attachment  to  himself,  wdthout  per- 
mitting it,  under  the  pretext  of  the  many  follies  which 
are  committed,  to  rebel  and  alienate  itself  from  its 
attachment  to  himself,  as  it  is  certain  it  would  do 
toward  the  said  English,  wdiom  the  said  lords  would 
seek  as  their  protectors  in  this  affair,  if  they  saw  they 
would  have  no  assurance  from  the  King." 

De  Croc  accordingly  offered  men  and  munitions  of 
war  to  the  revolutionary  party,  who  also  sought  the 


200 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


favor  of  Elizabeth.  Her  policy  fluctuated  between 
her  cherished  opposition  to  the  rebellion  of  subjects 
against  their  prince,  and  her  apprehensions  of  French 
influence  and  strength  in  Scotland.  She  abhorred 
civil  revolt,  but  she  feared  France  more  ;  and  Melvil 
received  intimations  that  the  confederates  might  anti- 
cipate aid  from  the  Queen  of  England. 

Although  the  forces  of  the  nobility  augmented  dai- 
ly, Mary  was  fearless,  in  her  ignorance  of  their  move- 
ments, of  impending  danger.  Bothwell,  by  an  at- 
tempt to  assassinate  Lethington,  had  driven  him  to 
the  protection  of  his  friend,  the  Earl  of  Athol,  where 
he  planned  the  furtherance  of  the  formidable  league. 
Meanwhile,  the  demand  was  made  by  the  successor  of 
Darnley,  for  the  control  of  young  James.  The  Earl 
of  Mar,  his  guardian,  refused,  unless  the  prince  were 
placed  in  Edinburgh  Castle,  under  the  care  of  an  hon- 
orable, irreproachable  governor.  But  this  ambitious 
design  was  checked  by  the  distinct  tokens  of  battle. 
Mary  was  at  Borthwick  Castle,  ten  miles  from  the 
capital,  whither  she  went  to  escape  the  troubled  at- 
mosphere of  her  follies.  The  nobles  had  disregarded 
her  summons  to  engage  in  a  campaign  to  the  frontier, 
under  the  command  of  Bothwell ;  and  he  hastened  in 
alarm  to  the  Queen.  Barely  had  he  arrived,  when 
the  Earls  of  Morton,  Montrose,  and  others,  leading  an 
army  of  ten  thousand  horseman,  marched  toward 
Borthwick  Castle.  Lord  Hume  pressed  on  in  advance 
of  the  main  force,  with  eight  hundred  men,  to  seize 
Bothwell  by  surprise.  He  had,  however,  escaped, 
and  on  the  10th  of  June,  Mary,  disguised  in  male  ap- 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


201 


parel,  under  cover  of  darkness,  fled  on  horseback,  and 
rejoining  Bothwell  a  few  miles  distant,  rode  with  him 
to  his  Castle  of  Dunbar,  which  they  entered  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  fully  conscious  that  something 
more  than  royal  pastime  was  before  them.  The  rev-  * 
olutionists,  thwarted  in  their  first  bold  push  to  the  en- 
closure of  sovereignty,  moved  down  upon  Edinburgh. 
Along  the  line  of  march  additions  were  made  to  their 
ranks,  until,  when,  on  the  11th  of  June,  they  arrived 
at  the  metropolis,  they  numbered  three  thousand 
armed  soldiers.  The  citizens  proclaimed  their  adhe 
n-nce  to  the  cause  of  the  confederates. 

James  Balfour,  w^ho  had  been  left  by  Bothwell  in 
command  of  the  castle,  instead  of  directing  his  ord- 
nance against  the  rebels,  signified  his  willingness  to 
enter  the  league.  Immediately,  the  triumphant  in- 
vaders issued  the  following  proclamation : 

"That  whereas,  the  Queen's  majesty,  being  detain 
ed  in  captivity,  w^as  neither  able  to  govern  her  realm, 
nor  try  the  murder  of  her  husband,  we  of  the  nobility 
and  council  command  all  the  subjects,  specially  the 
burghers  of  Edinburgh,  to  assist  the  said  noblemen 
and  council  in  delivering  the  Queen  and  preserving 
the  prince,  and  in  trying  and  punishing  the  Eing's 
murderers.  And  we  command  the  lords  of  session, 
commissaries,  and  all  other  judges,  to  sit  and  do 
justice  according  to  the  laws  of  this  realm,  notwith- 
standing any  tumult  that  may  arise  in  the  time  of  this 
enterprise  ;  with  certification  to  all  who  shall  be  found 
acting  contrary  to  these  proceedings,  that  they  shall 
I* 


202 


UA-RY     QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


be  reputed  as  faiitors  of  tlie  said  murder,  and  punisli- 
ed  as  traitors." 

The  order  was  tlien  given  to  march  against  Eoth- 
well,  who  was  charged  with  violence  toward  the 
Queen,  an  unlawful  marriage,  murder,  and  designs 
upon  the  prince  royal.  In  two  days,  Mary  and  Both- 
well  had  gathered  twenty-five  hundred  men,  and  left 
Dunbar  on  the  14:tli  of  June,  reaching,  the  next  day, 
Gladsmoor,  when  the  Queen  made  to  her  diminutive 
army  the  following  address : 

"  That  a  number  of  conspirators,  having  discovered 
the  latent  motive,  borne  to  her  and  the  Duke  of  Ork- 
ney, her  husband,  after  they  had  failed  in  apprehend- 
ing their  persons  at  Bortliwick,  had  made  a  seditious 
proclamation  to  make  the  people  believe  that  they 
did  seek  the  revenge  of  the  murder  of  the  King,  her 
late  husband,  and  the  relieving  of  herself  out  of  bon- 
dage and  captivity,  pretending  that  the  duke,  her 
husband,  was  minded  to  invade  the  prince,  her  son ; 
all  which  were  false  and  forged  inventions,  none  hav- 
ing better  cause  to  revenge  the  King's  death  than 
herself,  if  she  could  know  the  authors  thereof.  And 
for  the  duke,  her  present  husband,  he  had  used  all 
means  to  clear  his  innocence,  the  ordinary  justice  had 
absolved  him,  and  the  estates  of  Parliament  approved 
their  proceedings,  which  they  themselves  that  made 
the  2)resent  insurrection  had  likewise  allowed.  As, 
also,  he  had  offered  to  maintain  that  quarrel  against 
any  gentleman  on  earth  undefamed,  than  which  noth- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


203 


ing  more  could  be  required.  And  as  to  lier  alleged 
captivity,  the  contrary  was  known  to  the  whole  sub- 
jects, her  marriage  with  him  being  publicly  contract- 
ed and  solemnized,  with  their  own  consents,  as  their 
hand-writs  could  testify.  Albeit,  to  give  their  treason 
a  fair  show,  they  made  now  a  buckler  of  the  prince, 
her  son,  being  an  infant,  and  in  their  hands  ;  whereas 
their  intention  only  was  to  overthrow  her  and  her 
posterity,  that  they  might  rule  all  things  at  their 
pleasure,  and  without  controlment." 

With  promises  of  reward  for  loyalty,  the  Queen 
rode  forward  beneath  the  folds  of  the  royal  standard, 
attired  in  a  red  dress,  which  reached  only  to  her 
knees.  She  reached  Carborry  Hill,  six  miles  from  the 
capital,  and  took  her  position.  The  hostile  army,  hav- 
ing heard  of  her  progress,  hastened  before  the  break 
of  day,  Sunday  morning,  toward  the  entrenchments 
of  their  beautiful  and  resolute  sovereign.  On  one  of 
their  banners  was  pictured  the  slain  Darnley,  lying 
beneath  the  tree  where  he  was  found,  with  the  prince 
kneeling  beside  the  ghastly  form,  and  under  the  exci- 
ting scene  was  the  motto,  "  Judge  and  avenge  my  cause^ 
0  Lord  !  "  The  flaunting  colors  sent  a  thrill  of  fear- 
ful enthusiasm  through  the  ranks,  and  visibly  moved 
the  populace.  The  insurgents  threw  up  their  fortifi- 
cations on  the  heights  of  Musselburgh,  about  a  mile 
from  Carberry  Hill.  A  little  stream  ran  between  the 
foes,  who  lay  in  full  view  of  each  other.  ]!^ot  greatly 
unequal  in  numbers,  they  were  more  Avidely  different 
in  character  and  feeliiig.    The  nobility  and  the  ardor 


204 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


were  botli  against  Mary  Stuart.  Tliere  was  along  the 
lines  of  the  confederates,  where  shone  the  badges  of 
haughty  earls  and  powerful  barons,  a  furnace-glow 
of  revenge  ~r-  a  panting  to  punish  murder,  and  sub- 
due a  scorned  usurper. 

At  this  crisis,  De  Croc,  the  French  ambassador,  en- 
deavored, in  the  name  of  Charles,  his  king,  to  concil- 
iate the  parties,  and  save  a  bloody  conflict.  The  lords 
offered  to  withdraw  from  the  battle-field,  if  the  Queen 
would  at  once  and  forever  separate  herself  from  the 
odious  Bothwell.  They  offered  further,  to  meet  him 
in  single  combat,  according  to  his  former  challenge, 
if  he  would  come  forth  between  the  armies.  De  Croc 
unwillingly  bore  the  terms  of  loyalty  to  Mary.  He 
crossed  the  valley,  and  found  the  Queen  sitting  on  a 
green  mound,  her  features  kindling  with  determina- 
tion and  hope.  After  the  usual  salutations,  he  began 
by  representing  the  nobles  as  still  her  true,  though 
offended  subjects,  when  Mary  interrupted  with  these 
words:  "They  show  their  affection  very  ill,  by  run- 
ning counter  to  what  they  have  signed,  and  by  accu- 
sing the  man  whom  they  acquitted,  and  to  whom  they 
married  me." 

She  expressed  a  readiness  to  receive  them  upon  du- 
tiful submission.  "  At  this  moment  Bothwell  came 
up.  '  Is  it  of  me  that  they  complain  ? '  he  said  to 
De  Croc,  in  a  voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  his 
army.  '  I  have  just  been  speaking  to  them,'  replied 
De  Croc  as  loudly,  '  and  they  have  assured  me  that 
they  are  the  Queen's  very  humble  subjects  and  ser- 
vants ;  and  your  mortal  enemies,'  he  added  in  a  low- 


/ 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


205 


er  tone,  'since  yon  will  know  it.'  'What  hav^e  x 
done  to  tliem  ? '  answered  Both  well  in  the  same  tone, 
as  if  desirous  to  communicate  his  own  assurance  to 
those  who  heard  him,  and  did  not  feel  so  bold  as  him- 
self. '  I  have  never  caused  displeasure  to  a  single 
one  of  them  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  sought  to  con- 
sult them  all.  What  they  are  doing  is  out  of  envy 
for  my  greatness.  Fortune  is  free  to  any  who  can  re- 
ceive her ;  and  there  is  not  a  man  among  them  who 
would  not  like  to  be  in  my  place.'  He  then  pro- 
posed, in  order  to  prevent  bloodshed,  to  fight  between 
the  two  armies,  although  he  had  had  the  honor  to  es- 
pouse the  Queen,  any  of  his  enemies  who  might  leave 
their  ranks,  provided  he  were  a  gentleman.  The 
Queen  opposed  this  proposition,  saying  that  she  would 
not  allow  anything  of  the  kind,  and  that  his  quarrel 
was  hers  also." 

By  this  time,  the  army  in  rebellion  had  passed  the 
stream,  and  Bothwell  retired  to  join  his  standard,  and 
L>.i  Croc  went  to  Morton  and  Glencairn,  with  the  oifer 
of  pardon,  if  they  would  obey  their  Queen.  "  We 
have  not  come  here,"  said  Glencairn,  "  to  solicit  pardon 
for  ourselves,  but  rather  to  give  it  to  those  who  have 
offended."  "  We  are  in  arms,"  added  Morton,  "  not 
against  the  Queen,  but  against  the  Duke  of  Orkney, 
the  murderer  of  her  husband.  Let  him  be  delivered 
up,  or  let  her  majesty  remove  him  from  her  company, 
and  we  shall  yield  her  obedience." 

Donning  their  casques,  they  ended  the  parley,  and 
De  Croc  repaired  to  Edinburgh.  Each  army,  accord- 
ing to  usage,  dismounted,  and  prepared  to  fight  on 


206 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


foot.  The  royal  force  were  irresolute,  and  demanded 
a  personal  combat  between  Botliwell  and  a  champion 
from  the  enemy.  The  daring  duke  consented.  Ma- 
ry was  compelled  to  submit,  because  her  ranks  were 
failing.  After  rejecting  the  Laird  of  Tullebardene  on 
account  of  inferior  rank,  Botliwell  selected  Morton, 
who  immediately  prepared  to  contend  with  two-hand 
ed  swords.  Lindsay  demanded  the  honor,  as  a  ser- 
vant of  the  assassinated  King,  and  kneeling  in  view 
of  the  whole  army,  prayed  in  a  clear  voice  for  strength 
to  vanquish  his  guilty  foe.  While  Mary  was  hesita- 
ting whether  to  permit  the  duel,  her  soldiers  were  de- 
serting ;  a  detachment  of  .confederates  had  swept 
around  the  hill,  cutting  off  the  possibility  of  Both- 
well's  retreat  toward  Dunbar.  Mary  yielded  to  the 
emergency,  and  consented  to  dismiss  the  duke,  hei 
husband,  and  attend  the  insurgents  to  the  capital,  on 
the  terms  of  his  safe  return  to  Dunbar,  and  their  re- 
newed obedience.  Then  followed  a  brief  and  affect- 
ing interview  between  Mary  and  Botliwell  on  Carber- 
ry  Hill.  Mutual  pledges  of  fidelity  were  given,  and 
mounting  his  horse  in  company  with  a  few  friends,  he 
rode  fleetly  toward  his  castle.  The  separation,  though 
neither  knew  it,  was  final.  Sorrow^fully,  yet  confi- 
dingly, Mary  approached  the  Laird  of  Grange,  who 
had  hemmed  in  Both  well  just  before  by  his  military 
mancBuvre,  and  extending  her  delicate  hand,  which 
he  kissed,  submitted  to  his  guidance.  He  took  the 
bridle  of  her  horse  and  conducted  her  into  the  bosom 
of  the  opposing  army.  They  reverently  received  the 
Queen,  who  said : 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


207 


"My  lords,  I  am  come  to  you,  not  out  of  any  fear  I 
had  of  my  life,  nor  yet  doubting  of  the  victory,  if 
matters  had  gone  to  the  worst ;  but  I  abhor  the  slied- 
ding  of  Christian  blood,  especially  of  those  that  are 
my  own  subjects  ;  and  therefore  I  yield  to  you,  and 
will  be  ruled  hereafter  by  your  counsels,  trusting  you 
will  respect  me  as  your  born  princess  and  Queen." 

The  utterance  of  attachment  to  her,  the  condemna- 
tion of  Bothwell,  and  insults  of  the  common  soldiery, 
were  the  commingling  voices  that  fell  upon  her  ear. 
But  it  was  soon  apparent  that  professions  of  obedience 
were  like  "  the  morning  cloud  and  early  dew." 

"  The  march  commenced  ;  from  the  Queen's  man- 
ner, it  was  supposed  she  anticipated  a  rescue,  and  in 
reality  a  party  composed  of  the  Ilamiltons  had  ad- 
vanced for  that  purpose,  but  she  was  soon  convinced 
her  expectations  were  ho]3eless.  When  she  approach- 
ed the  capital,  a  new  trial  awaited  her,  and  she  be- 
held the  multitude  poured  forth,  not  to  relieve  or  even 
to  commiserate  her  distresses,  but  to  display  before 
her  eyes  a  bloody  ensign,  on  which  was  repre- 
sented the  young  prince,  kneeling  and  invoking  ven- 
geance on  the  authors  of  his  father's  mnrder.  At  this 
frightful  image,  Mary  almost  fell  from  her  horse,  and, 
bursting  into  an  agony  of  tears,  exclaimed,  —  "I  am 
your  native  princess !  descended  from  the  blood  of 
Bruce !  Treat  me  not  thus !"  Her  appeal  was  unre- 
garded. Even  in  the  women,  —  her  disheveled  hair, 
her  tears,  her  anguish,  awakened  no  pity ;  and  she 
proceeded,  amidst  loud  execrations,  till  she  reached 


208 


MARY    QUEEN    OP  SCOTS. 


the  provost's  house,  where  she  was  lodged  for  that 
night." 

The  hours  of  darkness  were  devoted  to  lamentations 
—  cries  for  help  —  and  piteous  expressions  of  despair. 
Li  the  morning,  the  barbai'ous  soldiery  waived  before 
her  window  the  tragic  flag  ;  when  Mary  raved  like  a 
lunatic,  and  with  disheveled  and  neglected  apparel, 
begged  in  the  name  of  God  for  deliverance.  The 
lords  partially  calmed  her  excitement  with  intima- 
tions of  restoration  to  Holyrood  and  liberty.  But  her 
unalterable  devotion  to  Both  well,  displayed  in  con^ 
versation  and  communications,  affirmed  to  have  been 
sent  to  him  at  Dunbar,  through  a  bribed  messenger, 
decided  her  captors  to  run  no  farther  hazard  of  war, 
and  their  own  remorseless  execution.  At  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  Mary  was  removed  to  Holyrood  Pal- 
ace, escorted  by  three  hundred  hackbutters.  Tlie  lords 
tlien  sat  in  council,  and  made  out  the  order  for  her 
imprisonment.  They  set  forth  the  necessity  of  taking 
arms  ;  her  surrender  ;  and  Both  well's  flight ;  adding, 
"  after  they  had  opened  and  declared  unto  her  highness 
her  own  estate  and  condition,  and  the  miserable  estate 
of  their  realm,  with  the  danger  that  her  dearest  son,  the 
prince,  stood  in,  requiring  that  she  would  sufier  and 
command  the  said  murder  and  authors  thereof  to  be 
punished,  they  found  in  her  majesty  such  untoward- 
ness  and  repugnance  thereto,  that  rather  she  appeared 
to  fortify  and  maintain  the  said  Earl  Bothwell  and  his 
accomplices  in  the  said  wicked  crimes,  nor  to  sufi'er 
justice  to  pass  forward ;  whereby,  if  her  highness 
should  be  left  in  that  state,  to  follow  her  own  inordi- 


MAKY     QT]EEN    OF  SCOTS. 


209 


nate  passion,  it  would  not  fail  to  succeed  to  tlie  final 
confusion  and  extermination  of  the  whole  realm.  So 
that,  after  mature  consultation,  by  common  advice,  it 
is  thought  convenient,  concluded  and  decreed,  that 
her  majesty's  person  be  sequestered  from  all  society 
of  the  said  Earl  Bothwell,  and  from  all  having  of  in- 
telligence^ with  him  or  any  others,  whereby  he  may 
have  any  comfort  to  escape  due  punishment  for  his 
demerits.  And  finding  no  place  more  meet  or  com- 
modious for  her  majesty  to  remain  in,  than  the  house 
and  place  of  Lochleven,  ordains,  commands,  and 
charges  Patrick  Lord  Lindsay  of  the  Byres,  William 
Lord  Ruthven,  and  William  Douglas  of  Lochleven, 
to  pass  and  convoy  her  majesty  to  the  said  place  of 
Lochleven,  and  the  said  lords  to  receive  her  therein, 
and  there  they  and  every  one  of  them  to  keep  her 
majesty  surely,  within  the  said  place,  and  in  nowise 
to  suffer  her  to  pass  forth  of  the  same,  or  to  have  in- 
telligence from  any  manner  of  persons,  or  yet  to  send 
advertisements  or  directions  for  intelligence  with  any 
living  persons,  except  in  their  own  presence  and  au- 
dience, or  by  the  commandments  and  directions  of 
the  lords  under  subscribing,  or  part  of  them  represent- 
ing the  council  at  Edinburgli,  or  otherwise  where  they 
shall  resort  for  the  time,  as  they  will  answer  to  God, 
and  upon  their  duty,  to  the  commonweal  of  this  coun- 
try, keeping  these  presents  for  their  warrant !" 

In  the  night  of  June  10th,  Mary,  without  a  retinuC; 
"  mounted  on  a  sorry  hackney,"  attired  in  coarse  cas- 
sock, and  guarded  by  the  savage  Ruthven  and  Lind- 

14 


210 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


say,  entered  Loclileven  Castle.  This  fortress  liea 
north  of  Edinburgh,  on  a  small  island  in  the  middle 
of  the  lake.  The  buildings  covered  nearly  half  of  the 
land,  and  on  three  sides  the  waters  laved  the  naked 
walls.  The  remaining  side  had  a  garden  to  relieve 
the  view.  The  deep  basement  was  a  dungeon  for 
solitary  imprisonment.  The  only  entrance  to  the 
square  tower,  which  was  the  family  residence,  was 
throngh  a  window  in  the  second  story,  by  a  ladder, 
raised  and  lowered  with  a  chain.  Mary  was  confined 
in  an  octagonal  tower  at  one  corner  of  the  massive 
pile.  The  distance  to  the  shore  was  half  a  mile.  The 
castle  was  owned  by  William  Douglas,  half  brother 
of  Murray,  whose  mother,  Margaret  Erskine,  formerly 
mistress  of  James  Y.,  Mary  Stuart's  father,  was  the 
Queen's  mortal  enemy.  She  was  the  wreck  of  a 
beauty,  and  proud  as  a  Koman  in  her  old  age,  boast- 
ing that  her  son,  born  of  King  James,  was  lawful  heir 
to  the  throne  of  Scotland.  She  also  embraced  the  ex- 
treme view  of  the  Puritans,  and  became  an  intolerant 
partizan.  To  her  tender  mercies  Mary  was  commit- 
ted. The  captivity  of  a  sovereign,  to  her  subjects  was 
a  novel  and  startling  event.  While  Europe  had  been 
the  arena  of  revolutionary  conflicts,  till  these  games 
of  oppressive,  unprincipled  monarchs,  and  the  out- 
raged masses,  were  familiar  horrors,  this  sacriligious 
invasion  of  the  royal  prerogative,  was  an  alarming 
precedent.  But  such  was  the  loss  of  popular  interest 
in  Mary  at  home,  that  the  timorous  friends  of  the 
Queen  were  quite  indifferent  to  her  fate.  Philip  of 
Spain  was  busy  with  a  revolt  in  ^Netherlands ;  and 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


211 


Elizabeth  only,  of  tlie  surrounding  monarchs,  gave  to- 
ken of  decided  solicitude  in  the  issue  of  the  daring 
arrest.  She  was  indignant  at  the  lawlessness  of  the 
rebels  in  the  confinement  of  Mary's  person ;  yet  she 
feared  the  captive  as  a  rivaL  And  while  she  sent  a 
letter  of  condolence  to  the  prisoner  of  Lochleven,  an- 
other conveyed  her  symj)athy  and  offers  of  support 
to  the  insurgents.  Poor  Mary  !  Deserted  and  envi- 
roned with  gloomy  walls  that  were  washed  with  lone- 
ly waters ;  watched  by  Elizabeth,  whose  imperious 
gaze  was  always  resting  on  the  aspiring  daughter  of 
Stuart ;  and,  worse  than  a  widow  —  what  houi^s  of  re- 
flection were  hers  !  But  ambition  ruled  the  woman^ 
and  she  was  unchastened  with  the  satire  which  the 
tragical  romance  of  her  fate  made  upon  human  great- 
ness. 


I 


CHAPTER  VI. 

kew  dangers  threaten  mart  sir  james  mblvtl  elizabeth's  in* 

terposition  the  designs  and  action  of  the  confederates  — 

Throckmorton's  embassy  and  instructions — the  coronation  of- 

james  the  arrival  of  murray  his  interview  with  mary — 18 

proclaimed  regent  the  people  approve  the  measure  elizabeth 

ONLY  INTERFERES  MURRAY  TRIUMPHS  BOTIIWELl's  FATE  HIS  COM- 
PANIONS MARY  IN  PRISON  ATTEMPTS  TO  ESCAPE  SHE  IS  AT  LENGTH 

SUCCESSFUL  RAISES  AN  ARMY  THE  BATTLE  MARY  FLIES  REACHES 

CARLISLE  WRITES    ELIZABETH  THROWS  HERSELF  ON    THE  MERCY  OK 

THE  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND  NEGOTIATIONS  ELIZABETH  DEMANDS  A  TRUt 

OF   MARY  LETTERS    TO  HER  FROM  THE    CAPTIVE  PREPARATIONS  FOR 

THE  CONFERENCE  THE  COURT  AT  YORK  THE  POSITION  AND  ERROR  OF 

MARY. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  Mary's  peril  was  greatly  in- 
creased by  circumstances  which  are  related  by  Mignct : 
"  George  Dalgleish,  Bothwell's  chamberlain,  had  been 
arrested  with  a  casket  which  he  was,  doubtless,  con- 
veying to  Dunbar,  and  which  contained  some  private 
papers  that  furnished  decided  proofs  of  Mary's  guilt. 
Tiiis  casket  was  made  of  silver,  overgilt  with  gold, 
and  surmounted  with  the  cypher  of  Francis  II.,  who 
had  given  it  to  Mary.  Mary,  in  her  turn,  had  given 
it  to  Bothwell,  who  had  inclosed  in  it  some  letters 
which  she  had  written  to  him  in  her  own  hand-wri- 
ting, both  before  and  after  the  murder  of  the  King, 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


213 


some  sonnets  breathing  the  most  passionate  affection 
for  him,  and  a  contract  of  marriage  which  she  had 
signed  some  time  before  the  jDremeditated  surprise  at 
Ahnond  Bridge.*  Bothwell  had,  doubtless,  pre- 
served these  papers  as  guarantees  against  the  possible 
inconstancy  of  the  Queen.  He  had  left  the  casket  in 
Edinburgh  Castle,  under  the  care  of  two  of  his  ac- 
complices, George  Dalgleish  and  James  Balfour.  Ei- 
ther by  chance,  or  by  the  perfidy  of  the  odious  Bal- 
four,f  who,  like  many  others,  had  joined  the  confed- 

*"Ane  silver-box  owergilt  with  gold,  with  all  missive  letteris, 
contractie  or  obligationis,  for  marriage-sonetis  or  luif-balletis,  and  all 
utheris  letteris  contenit  thairin,  send  and  past  betwixt  the  Quene, 
our  said  Soverane  Lordismoder,  and  James,  sumtyme  Erie  Bothuile, 
quhilk  box  and  haill  pieces  within  the  samyn  were  takin  and  fund 
with  umquhill  George  Dangleisch,  servand  to  the  Erie  Bothuile, 
upon  the  xx  day  of  June,  the  zeir  of  God,  1567  zeiris."  Discharge 
to  my  Lord  Morton,  given  on  the  16th  of  September,  1668,  by  Mur- 
ray to  Morton,  (who,  ever  since  the  22d  of  June,  1567,  had  kept 
possession  of  the  silver  box,)  in  presence  of  Lord  Lindsay,  the  Bish- 
op of  Orkney,  the  Commendator  of  Dunfermline,  the  Commenda- 
tor  of  Salmerinoch,  Mr.  Secretary  Lethington,  the  Justice  Clerk, 
and  Master  Henry  Balnaves.  See  Keith,  Appendix,  p.  140.  In  a 
letter  from  Throckmorton  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  dated  Edinburgh, 
25th  July,  1567,  allusion  is  made  to  the  discovery  of  these  pa- 
pers in  the  following  terms  :  "They  mean  to  charge  her  with  the 
murder  of  her  husband,  whereof  they  say  they  have  as  apparent 
proof  against  her  as  may  be,  as  well  by  testimony  of  her  own  hand- 
writing, which  they  have  recovered,  as  also  by  sufficient  witnesses." 
(See  Keith,  p..  426.) 

f  "Bothwell  sent  a  servant  to  Sir  James  Balfour  to  save  a  little 
silver  cabinet  which  the  Queen  had  given  him.  Sir  James  Balfour 
delivers  the  cabinet  to  the  messenger,  and  under-hand,  giveth  ad- 
vice of  it  to  the  lords.    In  this  cabinet  had  Bothwell  kept  the  let- 


214 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


eracy  under  the  pretext  of  punishing  a  crime  to  which 
he  had  been  a  party,  Dalgleish  had  been  seized,  and 
the  papers  secured.  Powrie,  Bothwell's  porter,  met 
the  same  fate.  AYhen  examined  before  a  court  of 
justice  on  the  23d  and  26th  of  June,  they  had  both 
confessed  how  the  plot  against  the  King's  life  had 
been  contrived  and  executed.  The  depositions  of 
these  two  servants  of  Bothwell  had  furnished  a  surer 
basis  for  the  prosecution  of  that  great  criminal ;  and 
the  lords  of  the  secret  coimcil  commanded  that  he 
should  be  seized  in  his  Castle  of  Dunbar,  and  con- 
ducted to  Edinburgh,  to  be  punished  as  the  murderer 
of  the  King.  But  whilst  the  confessions  of  Powrie 
and  Dalgleish  placed  Bothwell's  culpability  beyond 
doubt,  the  papers  found  in  the  silver  casket  furnished 
terrible  weapons  against  the  Queen  to  those  who 
wished  to  accuse  and  destroy  her."* 

ters  of  privacy  he  had  from  the  Queen ;  thus  he  hept  her  letters  to 
be  an  awe-bond  upon  her,  in  case  her  affections  should  change.  By 
the  taking  of  this  cabinet,  many  particulars  betwixt  the  Queen  and 
Bothwell  were  clearly  discovered.  These  letters  were  after  print- 
ed; they  were  in  French,  with  some  sonnets  of  her  own  making." 
(Knox's  History  of  tlte  Reformation,  vol.  ii.,  p.  562.) 

*  The  annexed  note  gives  a  strong  and  interesting  denial  of  tha 
genuineness  of  the  letters  in  the  casket : 

"It  is,  forsooth,  a  boxe  of  letters  taken  from  one  Daighleysb, 
who  was  executed  for  the  Lorde  Darnley's  death,  the  Earles  man, 
for  sooth ;  whiche  letters  he  received  at  Edenborough  of  one  Sir 
James  Balfoure,  to  convey  to  his  master ;  Thus  say  they,  but  we 
aay  to  you,  as  is  sayd  in  Terrence,  N^on  sunt  hsec  satis  divisa  tem- 
poribus.  The  very  time,  if  nothing  else  were,  bewraieth  you,  and 
your  whole  cause  withal.  Is  it  to  be  thought,  that  either  the  Earle 
would  send  to  the  said  Sir  James,  who  had  before  assisted  the  fftc 


MARY    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


215 


At  this  exciting  juncture,  Melvil  arrived,  and  saw 
Mary,  in  the  presence  of  Lindsay  and  Eutliven,  wlio 
complained  in  her  unshaken  confidence  toward  her 
tried  servant,  that  they  were  not  allowed  a  private 
interview.  Melvil  was  not  a  treacherous  man,  but  his 
sympathies  for  distracted  Scotland  evidently  led  him 
to  the  standard  of  revolt ;  he  expected  no  deliverance 
from  thickening  distress,  under  the  reign  of  the  Queen. 
Soon  after  this  mission,  Elizabeth  dispatched  Throck- 
morton, to  confer  with  the  nobles  in  regard  to  Mary's 
liberation  and  conditional  restoration  to  her  throne. 
The  situation  of  the  Queen  of  England  was  exceed- 
ingly delicate  and  difiicult.  Mary  had  asserted  her 
right  to  the  sceptre  of  Britain,  and  there  were  princes 
ready  to  sustain  the  claim,  when  the  opportunity  ap- 
peared. France  and  Spain  were  waiting  to  snatch 
the  favorable  turn  of  civil  commotion,  to  advance  the 
cause  of  papal  Rome. 

To  dispose  of  the  royal  captive,  was  not  an  easy 

tion  against  the  Quene  "witli  the  force  and  strength  of  Edenbo- 
rough  Castle,  and  driven  from  thence  the  very  Earle  himselfe,  or 
that  the  said  Sir  James  would  send  any  such  thing  to  the  Earle  ? 
is  it  likely  ?  is  it  credible  ?  Had  the  forger  and  inventour  of  this 
tale,  by  seemely  conveyance  parted  and  divided  the  distinction  of 
his  times  ?  How  say  ye  ?  Whereas  nowe  it  is  in  no  case  to  be  sup- 
posed or  conjectured  that  such  a  wise  vertuous  ladie  would  sende 
any  such  letters;  yet  puiting  the  case,  that  she  had  sent  them,  it  is 
not  to  be  thought,  that  either  the  receaver  thereof,  or  that  she 
herselfe,  whom  ye  conceave  to  have  sent  them,  would  have  suf- 
fered them,  for  the  hasarding  of  her  estimation  and  honour,  to 
remaine  undefaced,  namely,  seeing  thf.re  was  a  special  mention 
made,  and  warning  given  forthwith  to  "i)urn  them."  (Lesley's  De- 
fence  of  Queen  Mary's  Honour :  Anderson's  Collections,  vol.  i.) 


216 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


act  of  sovereign  interposition.  If  restored  to  tlie  realm 
in  rebellion,  an  invincible  army  must  be  her  train ; 
if  permitted  to  revisit  France,  it  would  give  tlie  Cath- 
olic cause  a  mighty  advantage.  Tlie  gifted  and  de- 
termined prisoner  was  no  imaginary  rival.  And  yet 
Elizabeth  was  so  thoroughly  a  monarchist,  that  sho 
hated  insurrection,  even  by  an  abused  and  oppressed 
people.  Her  proposals,  in  the  conflicting  appeals  to 
her  power,  were,  after  rebuking  the  Queen  for  her 
marriage  of  Bothwell,  and  the  nobles  for  disloyalty ; 
that  Mary  be  divorced,  and  enthroned ;  that  the 
abandoned  duke  and  his  associates  be  punished  ;  "  that 
the  Castles  of  Dunbar  and  Dumbarton  should  be  en- 
trusted to  the  keeping  of  those  nobles  who  were  hos- 
tile to  Bothwell ;  that  a  Parliament  should  be  assem- 
bled, which  should  appoint  the  wardens  of  the  marches, 
and  the  governors  of  Edinburgh,  Stirling,  Inchkeith, 
and  the  other  strongholds  of  the  kingdom;  that  a 
great  council  should  be  established,  at  which  five  or 
six  of  its  members  should  always  be  present,  without 
whose  advice  and  consent  the  Queen  should  be  unable 
to  pass  any  act  or  make  any  appointment ;  and,  finally, 
that  a  general  amnesty  should  be  proclaimed." 

Lethington,  Melvil  and  Lord  Hume,  instead  of  ac- 
ceding to  the  views  of  Elizabeth,  emphatically  accu- 
sed her  of  political  indecision,  and  a  vacillating  policy, 
which  would  soon  be  the  ruin  of  the  kingdom,  if 
Mary  were  invested  with  authority.  John  Knox,  who 
had  returned,  upon  learning  of  the  Queexi's  imprison- 
ment, pledged  to  the  dominant  party,  the  entire  sup- 
port of  the  Presbyterians,  if  they  would  ratify  th* 


MART     QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  217 

statutes  of  1560,  wliicli  Mary  liad  refused  to  sanction. 
The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  last  remnant  of  Po- 
pery was  doomed,  by  the  new  order  of  things,  to  ex- 
tinction ;  and  the  Protestant  faith  was  made  the 
religion  of  all  the  universities  and  public  schools. 
The  young  prince  was  to  have  a  Puritan  education  ; 
and,  "  to  maintain  the  true  religion  now  professed  in 
the  kirk  of  Scotland,  and  suppress  all  things  contrary 
to  it,"  was  added  to  the  coronation  oath.  The  Re- 
formers advocated  the  moral  equality  of  Christians, 
and  denied  the  inviolability  of  kings  ;  and  referred  for 
precept  and  examples  to  the  Bible.  Knox  openly 
denounced  the  Queen,  and  Buchanan  affirmed  that 
insubordination  was  the  right  of  the  people,  when  the 
crimes  of  the  sovereign  furnished  the  occasion.  These 
opinions,  maintained  by  men  of  intellect  and  severe 
morality,  and  sharpened  with  conscientious  hostility 
to  the  Catholic  dogmas,  penetrated  the  common  mind, 
and  carried  their  less  thoughtful  advocates  into  the 
extremes  of  cruel  fanaticism.  The  church  presented 
a  formal  request  that  the  late  King's  death  might  be 
avenged,  "  according  to  the  laws  of  God,  according 
to  the  practices  of  their  own  realm,  and  according  to 
the  laws  which  they  call  ^'^5  gentium,  without  respect 
of  any  person."  Some  of  the  lords  dissented  from  the 
summary  view,  and  demanded  only  Mary's  divorce 
from  Bothwell,  and  her  return  to  the  regal  palace. 
Others  wished  to  restore  her  to  liberty,  and  requiring 
her  abdication  in  favor  of  James,  compel  her  to  re- 
tire to  France.  While  a  third  faction  loudly  urged 
the  trial  of  the  Queen  for  murder,  her  dethronement 
J 


218  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

publicly,  and  confinement  in  perpetual  captivity. 
July  8th  and  15th,  Melvil  visited  Mary  in  prison, 
to  negotiate,  if  possible,  a  divorce.  But  she  was  deaf 
to  his  importunity,  and  assured  him  that  she  would 
sooner  sacrifice  her  throne  than  Bothwell.  It  was  a 
fatal  infatuation,  that  rendered  Mary  Stuart,  amid  all 
her  augmenting  dangers,  and  the  counsel  of  England, 
France,  and  private  advisers,  unapproachable  on  the 
subject  of  abandoning  Bothwell,  who  had  already 
brought  her  to  the  dizzy  margin  of  hopeless  overthrow. 

"  The  Queen's  obstinate  determination  not  to  desert 
Bothwell  alarmed  and  irritated  the  lords  of  the  secret 
council.  Tliey  resolved  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  her  doing  them  any  future  injury,  by  deposing  her. 
This  deposition  was  prepared  under  the  form  of  a 
voluntary  abdication,  which  would  deprive  her  of 
power  without  degrading  her.  Three  acts  were  ac- 
cordingly drawn  up  for  Mary  Stuart's  signature.  By 
the  first,  she  renounced  the  government  of  the  king- 
dom, declaring  it  was  a  burden  of  which  she  was 
weary,  and  which  she  no  longer  had  strength  or  will 
to  bear  ;  and  authorized  the  immediate  coronation  of 
her  son.  The  second  and  third  conferred  the  regency  on 
the  Earl  of  Murray,  during  the  minority  of  the  young 
lung ;  and  appointed  the  Duke  of  Chatellerault,  with 
the  Earls  of  Lennox,  Argyle,  Morton,  Athol,  Glen- 
^  cairn,  and  Mar,  regents  of  the  kingdom  till  the  return 
of  Murray  from  France,  with  power  to  continue  in 
that  high  office,  if  he  refused  it.  In  case  Mary  Stuart 
should  refuse  to  sign  these  acts,  the  assembled  lords 
had  determined  to  prosecute  and  condemn  her  for 


Jkl^ARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


219 


these  three  crimes  —  '  First,  for  breach  and  violation 
of  their  laws  ;  secondly,  for  incontinency  as  well  with 
the  Earl  Bothwell,  as  with  others  ;  and  thirdly,  for 
the  murder  of  her  husband,  whereof,  they  say,  they 
have  as  apparent  proof  against  hor  as  may  be,  as  well 
by  the  testimony  of  her  own  handwriting,  as  also  by 
sufficient  witnesses.' 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  July,  the  ferocious 
Lindsay,  and  the  insinuating  Melvil,  left  Edinburgh 
on  their  way  to  Lochleven.  One  was  the  bearer  of 
the  three  acts  which  were  to  strip  her  of  her  authori- 
ty ;  the  other  was  directed  to  warn  the  Queen  of  the 
dangers  to  which  she  would  expose  herself  by  refusing 
to  sign  them.  Melvil  saw  her  first,  and  told  her  all. 
That  a  public  trial  would  be  substituted  for  an  abdi- 
cation —  that  the  hostility  of  the  lords  towards  her 
would  become  implacable  —  that  her  defamation 
would  be  certain,  and  the  loss  of  her  crown  inevitable 
—  and  that  her  life  would  probably  be  endangered  — 
were  some  of  the  consequences  which  Melvil  assured 
Mary  Stuart  would  result  from  refusal ;  whilst  he  did 
not  fail  to  insinuate  on  the  other  hand,  that  any  deed 
signed  in  captivity,  and  under  fear  of  death  would  be 
invalid." 

Mary  was  unyielding,  though  agitated  with  con- 
flicting emotions  of  hope  and  despondency,  when 
the  stern  Lindsay  entered,  with  the  acts  of  the  secret 
council.  The  terror  of  his  presence  decided  the  hes- 
itating Queen.  Her  eyes  wer©  sufi'used  with  tears, 
and,  with  a  tremulous  hand,  she  signed  the  papers. 
Lindsay  then  demanded  from  Thomas  Sinclair  the 


220 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS.. 


privy  seal,  and  the  work  was  finished.  On  the  29th 
of  July,  the  nobles  gathered  at  Stirling  to  crown  the 
prince  rojal.  The  Hamiltons,  who  were  a  strong 
faction,  opposed  the  coronation,  and  had  resolved  to 
deliver  the  Queen.  Throckmorton,  Elizabeth's  am- 
bassador, refrained  from  the  shadow  of  approval,  and 
admonished  the  lords  to  take  no  rash  measures.  He 
awaited  his  sovereign's  instructions,  and  soon  receiv- 
ed them,  in  a  strain  of  withering  indignation  against 
the  insurgents.  After  repudiating  with  scorn  the 
right  to  be  judges  of  their  ruler,  she  continued: 
"  AYhat  warrant  have  they  in  Scripture,  being  sub- 
jects, to  depose  their  prince  ;  but  contrary,  and  that 
with  express  words  in  St.  Paul,  who,  to  the  Romans, 
commanded  them  to  obey  jpotestatihus  su^ereminenti- 
oribus  gladium  gestantibus^  although  it  is  well  known 
that  rulers  in  Rome  were  then  infidels?  Or  what 
law  find  they  written  in  any  Christian  monarchy,  how 
and  what  sort  subjects  shall  take  and  arrest  the  per- 
son of  their  princes,  commit  and  detain  them  in  cap- 
tivity, proceed  against  them  by  process  and  judgment, 
as  we  are  well  assured  no  such  order  is  to  be  found 
in  the  whole  civil  law  ?  And  if  they  have  no  warrant 
by  Scripture  or  law,  and  yet  can  find  out  for  their 
purpose  some  examples,  as  we  hear  by  seditious  bal- 
lads they  put  in  print,  they  would  pretend ;  we  must 
justly  account  those  examples  to  be  unlawful,  and 
acts  of  rebellion  :  and  so,  if  the  stories  be  well  weigh- 
ed, the  success  will  prove  them.  You  shall  say  that 
this  may  suffice  to  such  as  do  pretend  to  be  carried 
in  their  actions  by  authority  either  of  religion  or  of 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


221 


justice.  And  as  to  others  that  for  particular  respect 
look  only  to  their  own  surety,  it  were  well  clone,  be- 
fore they  proceeded  any  further,  if  they  did  w^ell  con- 
sider how  to  stay  where  they  be,  and  to  devise  how 
to  make  surety  of  their  doings  already  past,  than  to 
increase  their  peril  by  more  dangerous  doings  to  fol 
low.  We  detest  and  abhor  the  murder  committed 
upon  our  cousin  their  King,  and  mislike  as  much  as 
any  of  them  the  marriage  of  the  Queen  our  sister  with 
Bothwell.  But  herein  w^e  dissent  from  them,  that  we 
think  it  not  lawful  nor  tolerable  for  them,  being  by 
God's  ordinance  subjects,  to  call  her,  who  also  by 
God's  ordinance  is  their  superior  and  prince,  to  an- 
swer to  their  accusations  by  way  of  force ;  for  w^e  do 
not  think  it  consonant  in  nature  the  head  should  be 
subject  to  the  foot. 

"  If  they  shall  determine  anything  to  the  deprivation 
of  the  Queen,  their  sovereign  lady,  of  her  royal  es- 
tate, we  are  well  assured  of  our  own  determination, 
and  we  have  some  just  and  probable  cause  to  think 
the  like  of  other  princes  of  Christendom,  that  we  will 
make  ourselves  a  plain  party  against  them,  to  the  re- 
venging of  their  sovereign,  and  for  example  to  all  pos- 
terity." 

July  29th,  the  infant  James,  then  thirteen  months 
old,  was  crowned  at  Stirling,  and  John  Knox  preach- 
ed the  sermon  of  the  grand  occasion.  The  Reformer 
seldom  enjoyed  a  prouder  triumph,  than  standing  in 
the  hall  of  Mary's  stronghold,  and  proclaiming  his 


222 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Protestant  views.  The  ceremonies  were  followed  by 
bonfires,  and  all  the  jDopular  demonstrations  of  glad- 
ness, on  highland  and  in  lowland,  the  King  could 
have  claimed,  had  he  been  sufficiently  mature  to  com- 
prehend the  pageantry  about  him.  That  coronation 
was  one  of  a  series  of  suggestive  events. 

At  Stirling  Castle,  Mary  Stuart  was  crowned  in  tho 
arms  of  her  nurse  ;  there  a  son  was  born  and  baptized ; 
and  while  the  captive  mother  was  lamenting  "  the  evil 
times,"  in  prison,  the  wondering  boy  w^as  the  centre 
of  enthusiasm.  In  the  same  renowned  pile  Ids  rights 
were  the  theme  of  rejoicing,  and  her  solitude  was  the 
subject  of  heartless  approval. 

Murray  had  heard  in  France  of  Mary's  errors  and 
calamities,  and  cherishing  a  tenderness  and  attach- 
ment toward  his  sister,  set  out,  upon  receiving  intel- 
ligence of  the  coronation,  for  Scotland.  Before  he 
reached  England,  his  hostility  to  the  Queen's  impris- 
onment was  modified.  A  messenger,  whom  he  had 
dispatched  to  Scotland,  met  him  with  the  declaration 
of  the  nobles,  and  the  disclosures  of  the  silver  casket. 
When  he  entered  the  presence  of  Elizabeth,  he  was 
less  ardent  in  Mary's  cause  than  when  in  France.  But 
the  indignant  Queen  reiterated  her  denunciations  of 
the  lords,  and  her  purpose  to  restore  Mary  Stuart  to 
the  throne.  This  increased  Murray's  alienation,  and 
also  the  danger  of  the  royal  prisoner.  Tlie  Hamil- 
tons  had  become  traitors,  and  aspiring  to  the  sove- 
reignty, were  negotiating  for  the  trial  and  execution 
of  Mary.  The  advent  of  Murray  at  such  a  time,  was 
an  exciting  incident.    The  difi'erent  factions  sent  rep 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


223 


resentatives  across  the  frontier  to  enlist  liis  sympathy, 
lie  respectfully  heard  their  appeals,  but  gave  no 
pledges  for  the  future.  Then  he  crossed  the  bounda- 
ry of  the  kingdoms,  an  escort  of  three  hundred  men 
attending  him  to  Edinburgh.  All  eyes  were  turned  to 
him,  as  the  regent  of  distracted  Scotland. 

He  refused  to  decide,  amid  the  conflicting  views  of 
the  people,  until  he  had  seen  and  conversed  with  Ma- 
ry. The  nobles  did  not  oppose  the  visit,  because  they 
had  no  power  to  prevent  it ;  and  on  the  15th  of  Au- 
gust, Murray,  in  company  with  Morton,  Athol  and 
■  Lindsay,  repaired  to  Lochleven  Castle.  It  was  his 
purpose  to  secure  her  appointment  of  himself  to  the 
regency,  and  enter  upon  the  government  with  the 
fairest  prospect  of  success. 

"  On  seeing  him  enter  her  prison,  Mary  thought  • 
that  her  brother  had  come  to  be  her  friend  and  pro- 
tector. She  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  passion- 
ately complained  of  the  unjust  treatment  she  had 
experienced.  Murray  listened  to  her  in  silence,  and 
neither  commiserated  nor  consoled  her.  The  suppli- 
ant Mar}^  then  said,  turning  towards  Athol  and  Mor- 
ton:  'My  lords,  you  have  had  experience  of  my 
severity,  and  of  the  end  of  it ;  I  pray  you  also  let  me 
find  that  you  have  learned  by  me  to  make  an  end  of 
yours,  or,  at  least,  that  you  can  make  it  final.'  But 
they  were  as  taciturn  and  gloomy  as  Murray.  Alarm- 
ed at  a  visit  that  seemed  to  confirm  the  sinister  reports 
which  had  been  spread  concerning  her,  Mary  took 
her  brother  aside  before  supper,  anxiously  questioned 
him  as  to  the  intentions  of  the  lords,  and  in  vaia 


224:  MAET    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


endeavored  to  fathom  liis  own  projects  ;  but  for  two 
hours  Murraj  continued  silent  and  impenetrable. 
When  the  bitter  meal  had  passed  awaj,  Mary  again 
desired  to  converse  with  her  brother,  ^and  everybody 
being  retired,  they  conferred  together  until  one  of 
the  clock  after  midnight.'  In  this  second  interview, 
Murray  threw  off  his  premeditated  reserve,  and  spoke 
to  the  Queen  with  terrible  frankness  and  inexorable  se- 
verity. He  told  her  what  he  thought  of  herself  and  her 
misgovernment,  pitilessly  reminded  her  of  her  impro- 
prieties of  conduct,  and  laid  before  her,  one  by  one,  all 
the  actions,  which,  he  said,  had  violated  her  conscience, 
sullied  her  honor,  and  compromised  her  safety.  The 
unhappy  Queen  was  plunged  into  despair  by  this  ter- 
rible accusation,  and  she  lost  all  courage.  'Some- 
times,' says  Throckmorton, .  in  his  narrative  of  this 
painful  scene,  '  she  wept  bitterly ;  sometimes  she 
acknowledged  her  unadvisedness  and  misgovernment ; 
some  things  she  did  confess  plainly  ;  some  things  she 
did  excuse ;  some  things  she  did  extenuate.'  After 
having  crushed  her  with  the  weight  of  these  dreadful 
recollections,  Murray  left  his  sister  in  an  agony  of 
fear ;  she  thought  that  her  fate  was  sealed,  and  that 
she  must  expect  nothing  but  from  God's  mercy.  In 
this  state  of  mind  she  passed  the  remainder  of  the 
night. 

"  The  next  morning  she  sent  for  her  brother,  and 
Murray  once  more  entered  her  room.  Perceiving  the 
impression  he  had  made,  he  assumed  a  milder  mood, 
changed  his  tone,  threw  in  some  words  of  consolation, 
and  assured  her  that  he  desired  to  save  her  life,  and, 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


225 


if  possible,  1o  preserve  her  honor.    '  But,'  he  added, 

*  it  is  not  in  ^  j  power,  only  ;  the  lords  and  others 
have  interest  in  the  matter.  ^Notwithstanding,  mad- 
am, I  will  declare  to  jou  which  be  the  occasions  that 
may  put  you  in  jeopardy.  For  your  peril,  these  be 
they  :  your  own  practices  to  disturb  the  quiet  of  your 
realm  and  the  reign  of  your  son ;  to  enterprise  to  es- 
cape from  where  you  are,  to  put  yourself  at  liberty  ; 
to  animate  any  of  your  subjects  to  troubles  or  disobe- 
dience ;  the  Queen  of  England  or  the  French  King 
to  molest  this  realm,  either  with  their  war,  or  with 
war  intestine,  by  your  procurement  or  otherwise ;  and 
your  own  persisting  in  this  inordinate  affection  with 
the  Earl  BothwelL' 

"At  these  words,  Mary,  who  had  remained  under 
the  di*eadful  impressions  of  the  previous  night,  dis- 
cerned a  gleam  of  hope.  She  threw  herself  into  hei 
brother's  arms,  and  expressed  her  satisfaction  at  his 
assurance  that  he  would  protect  her  life,  and  the  hopes 
he  allowed  her  to  entertain  that  her  honor  would  be 
saved.  In  order  to  arrive  more  surely  at  this  desired 
result,  she  conjured  him  not  to  refuse  the  regency, 

*  for  by  this  means,'  she  said,  '  my  son  shall  be  pre- 
served, my  realm  well  governed,  and  I  in  safety.' 
Murray  hesitated,  and  alleged  reasons,  the  sincerity 
of  which  we  cannot  suspect,  against  imdertaking  so 
arduous  a  task.  Always  hurried  away  by  irresistible 
impulses,  Mary  only  entreated  him  the  more  urgently 
to  sacrifice  his  own  repugnance  to  the  welfare  of  his 
sister.  She  suggested  that  he  should  make  himself 
master  of  all  the  forts  in  the  kingdom,  requested  him 

J*  -  16 


22G 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


to  take  her  jewels  and  other  vahiables  into  his  custo- 
dy, and  offered  to  give  to  his  regency  the  support  of 
her  letters  and  the  authority  of  her  name.  Murray 
at  length  assented,  appearing  to  accept  with  resigna- 
tion what  he  doubtless  most  ardently  coveted.  Before 
leaving  his  sister,  he  enjoined  the  Lords  Lindsay, 
Ruthven,  and  Lochleven,  '  to  treat  the  Queen  with 
gentleness,  with  liberty,  and  with  all  other  good 
usage.'  He  then  bade  her  farewell,  '  and  then  began 
another  fit  of  weeping,  which  being  appeased,  she  em- 
braced him  very  lovingly,  kissed  him,  and  sent  her 
blessing  unto  the  prince,  her  son,  by  him.' 

"  On  this,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  Mary  Stuart 
yielded  to  one  of  those  rapid,  momentary  impressions 
which  so  frequently  guided  her  conduct,  and  set  at 
nought  the  dictates  of  prudence.  At  Lochleven,  she 
displayed  the  same  character  as  at  the  Kirk  of  Field, 
Almond  Bridge,  Carberry  Hill,  and  shortly  after- 
wards at  Carlisle,  always  yielding  to  invincible  pas- 
sions or  deceptive  opinions.  After  having  been  terri- 
fied into  signing  her  deed  of  abdication,  she  had  been 
surprised  into  giving  her  consent  to  it.  This  consent, 
which  she  ere  long  repented,  had  been  obtained  from 
her  by  the  cold  and  astute  Murray,  whilst  her  troubled 
heart  was  passing  from  intense  alarm  to  buoyant  hope. 

"Assured  of  her  irnportant  approbation,  Murray 
proceeded  to  Stirling  to  visit  the  infant  monarch,  in 
whose  name  he  was  to  govern,  and  returned  to  Edin- 
burgh on  the  19th  of  August.  Three  days  after,  he 
was  declared  regent  in  the  council  chamber  at  the 
Tolbooth.    Laying  his  hand  upon  the  Gospels,  like  a 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


227 


true  secretary  and  ardent  supporter  of  the  liberties  of 
the  realm,  he  took  the  following  oath  :  '  I,  James, 
Earl  of  Murray,  Lord  Abernethy,  promise  faithfully, 
in  the  presence  of  the  Eternal,  my  God,  that  I,  during 
the  whole  course  of  my  life,  will  serve  the  same  Eter- 
nal, my  God,  to  the  uttermost  of  my  power,  accord- 
ing as  he  requires  in  his  most  holy  word,  revealed 
and  contained  in  the  IS'ew  and  Old  Testaments  ;  and, 
according  to  the  same  word,  will  maintain  the  true 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  preaching  of  his  holy 
word,  and  due  and  right  administration  of  his  sacra- 
ments, now  received  and  practiced  within  this  realm ; 
and  also  will  abolish  and  withstand  all  false  religion 
contrary  to  the  same ;  and  will  rule  the  people  com- 
mitted to  my  charge  and  regiment  during  the  minor- 
ity and  less-age  of  the  King,  my  sovereign,  according 
to  the  will  and  command  of  God,  revealed  in  his  afore- 
said word,  and  according  to  the  loveable  laws  and 
constitutions  received  in  this  realm,  noways  repug- 
nant to  the  said  word  of  the  Eternal,  my  God  ;  and 
will  procure  to  my  uttermost,  to  the  kirk  of  God  and 
all  Christian  people,  true  and  perfect  peace,  in  all  time 
coming.  The  rights  and  rents,  with  all  just  pnvileges 
of  the  crown  of  Scotland,  I  will  preserve  and  keep 
inviolate  ;  neither  wdll  I  transfer  nor  alienate  the 
same.  I  will  forbid  and  repress,  in  all  estates  and 
degrees,  reif,  oppression,  and  all  kind  of  wrong.  In 
all  judgments  I  will  command  and  procure  that  jus- 
tice and  equity  be  kept  to  all  creatures  witliout  excep- 
tion, as  he  be  merciful  to  me  and  you,  that  is  the  Lord 
and  Father  of  all  mercies  ;  and  out  of  this  realm  of 


228 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Scotland,  and  empire  thereof,  I  will  be  carefiii  to  root 
that  shall  be  convicted  by  the  true  kirk  of  God  of 
the  aforesaid  crimes.  And  these  things  above  writ- 
ten, I  faitlifully  affirm  by  this  my  solemn  oath.'  The 
seventy-third  psalm  was  then  sung,  and  Murray  was 
proclaimed  regent  at  the  Market  Cross,  amid  the  ac- 
clamations of  the  people." 

The  wheels  of  revolution  had  reached  a  plane  of 
rest.  The  extreme  and  conservative  parties  submit- 
ted without  op]30sition  to  this  administration.  Mur- 
ray took  the  helm  of  th^  tempest-tossed  ship  of  State, 
wdth  a  steady  hand,  and  the  approval  of  his  subjects. 
Foreign  princes  acquiesced,  excej^ting  Elizabeth, 
whose  anger  was  kindled  intensely  with  repeated  fail- 
ures to  influence  the  ca]3tors  of  Mary ;  but  she  was 
powerless  to  avert  the  consummation  attained,  and 
also  to  reverse  the  march  of  empire.  Lethington  as- 
sured Throckmorton,  the  English  ambassador,  that  the 
lords  w^ere  ready  for  war,  and  rebuked  the  imperious 
tone  of  Elizabeth.  Murray  added  :  "  Though  I  were 
not  here  at  the  doings  past,  yet  surely  I  must  allow 
of  them  ;  and  seeing  the  Queen  and  they  have  laid 
upon  me  the  charge  of  the  regency,  (a  burden  which 
I  would  gladly  have  eschewed,)  I  do  mean  to  wear  my 
life  in  defence  of  their  action,  and  will  either  reduce 
all  men  to  obedience  in  the  King's  name,  or  it  shall 
cost  me  my  life." 

Murray  soon  obtained  command  of  the  fortresses 
of  the  realm,  and  was  virtually  monarch. 

Bothwell  had  fled  from  the  Castle  of  Dunbar  to  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  220 

Higlilancls,  where  he  held  estates.  An  armed  de- 
tachment, whose  chieftain  was  the  Laird  of  Grange, 
went  in  liot  pursnit  of  the  fugitive.  The  freebooter 
then  equipped  a  small  fleet,  and  sought  security  amid 
the  Shetland  and  Orkney  isles,  whose  frowning  cliffs 
dot  the  dark  and  tempestuous  seas  of  the  N'orth.  The 
Laird  of  Grange  followed  in  his  wake,  seized  two  ot 
his  vessels,  and  was  near  Bothwell's  ship,  when  he 
struck  a  shoal,  and  the  daring  outlaw  made  his  escape  ; 
striking  out  into  the  open  ocean,  he  was  driven  hy  a 
wild  tempest  to  the  coast  of  IN'orway.  His  career  was 
commenced  as  a  pirate  ;  and  falling  in  with  a  Danish 
man-of-war,  he  w^as  boarded  and  taken  to  Denmark. 
The  king,  Frederick  IL,  refused  to  give  up  the  noto- 
rious Bothwell,  eitlier  to  Murray  or  to  the  Queen  of 
England,  but  confined  him  in  the  prison  of  Malmoe 
Castle.  After  the  torture  of  constant  fear  of  being 
delivered  up  to  his  enemies,  his  restless  spirit,  chafing 
in  restraint,  like  a  caged  lion  lashing  the  bars  of  his 
iron  lair,  he  died  a  despairing  lunatic.  His  associates 
and  minions  were  many  of  them  arrested,  tried  and 
executed.  Powrie,  Dalgleish,  Hay  of  Tallo,  and  Hep- 
burn were  of  the  number. 

Tlie  most  distinguished  conspirators,  however,  on 
account  of  their  position  and  influence,  received  hon- 
ors, instead  of  the  executioner's  axe.  And  it  has  al- 
ways been  thus ;  human  justice  seldom  reaches  a 
brow  which  reflects  the  smile  of  mammon,*  or  wears 
the  laurel  of  renown;  foreshadowing  the  necessity 
and  desirab,"'eness  of  a  final  tribunal,  where  the  evi- 


230 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


dence  and  sentence  will  be  unquestioned  and  unrl- 
terable. 

December,  1567,  tlie  Parliament  assembled  witli 
unusual  completeness  in  number,  and  an  imposing 
array  of  titles.  Four  bishops,  fourteen  abbots,  twelve 
earls,  sixteen  lords  and  eldest  sons  of  lords,  and 
twenty-seven  commissioners  of  burghs  were  present. 
This  Parliament  enacted  religious  uniformity  by  rati- 
fying the  Confession  of  Faith  of  1560,  and  sanction- 
ing the  entire  abolition  of  Catholicism ;  it  resumed 
from  the  laymen  a  third  of  that  ecclesiastical  property 
which  they  had  seized,  and  applied  it  to  the  support 
of  ministers  and  schools  belonging  to  the  Reformed 
church  ;  it  recognized  the  legal  elevation  of  the 
young  King  to  the  throne  of  Scotland,  sanctioned  tho 
appoinment  of  the  regent,  and  keenly  debated  the 
course  to  be  pursued  with  regard  to  the  Queen  — 
some  wishing  to  bring  her  at  once  to  trial,  while 
others  desired  merely  to  retain  her  in  captivity.  The 
more  moderate  party  gained  the  victory ;  but,  in  order 
to  justify  the  confederate  lords  for  having  taken  arms, 
imprisoned,  and  dethroned  their  sovereign,  the  Par- 
liament passed  an  act,  by  the  terms  of  which  Mary 
Stuart  was  seriously  criminated.  It  contains  the  fol- 
lowing clause  :  "  That  the  cause,  and  all  things  de- 
pending thereon,  were  in  the  Queen's  own  default,  in 
so  far  as  by  divers  her  privy  letters,  written  wholly 
with  her  own  hand,  and  sent  by  her  to  James,  some- 
time Earl  of  Bothwell,  chief  executor  of  the  said  hor 
rible  murder,  as  well  before  the  committing  thereof, 
as  thereafter ;  and  by  her  ungodly  and  dishonorable 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


231 


proceeding  to  a  pretended  marriage  with  him,  snd- 
uenly  and  immediately  thereafter,  it  is  most  certain 
that  she  was  -privj  to  it  and  part  of  the  aforenamed 
murder  of  the  King  her  lawful  husband,  committed 
by  the  said  James,  sometime  Earl  of  Bothwell,  his 
complices  and  partakers." 

This  harsh  expression  of  opinion,  tantamount  to  a 
condemnation,  rendered  Mary  Stuart's  captivity  more 
stringent,  although  by  Murray's  orders  she  was  treat- 
ed with  respect  and  consideration.  She  w^as  more 
closely  watched,  lest  she  should  write  to  request  the 
assistance  of  any  foreign  power,  or  should  devise  a 
plan  for  her  escape  with  her  friends  in  Scotland.  She 
was  able  to  write  only  while  her  keepers  were  at  their 
meals  or  asleep,  for  the  daughters  of  the  castellan 
slept  with  her.  The  vigilance  of  Margaret  Erskine, 
who  watched  her  cajDtive  as  a  tigress  watches  the 
prey  for  her  young,  and  the  fidelity  of  keepers,  were 
in  vain.  George  Douglas,  son  of  Margaret,  was 
smitten  with  Mary's  surpassing  beauty,  and  his  sympa- 
thies were  awakened  by  her  calamities.  The  magic 
which  fell  upon  all  hearts  from  the  azure  eye,  and 
wondrous  fascination  of  her  graceful  person,  made  the 
Douglas  a  creature  of  her  will.  He  resolved  to  ob- 
tain her  liberty,  and  her  hand.  Disguising  the  pris- 
oner in  the  apparel  of  a  laundress,  who  frequented  the 
castle,  he  led  her  unsuspected  to  the  margin  of  the 
lake.  The  boat  glided  away  from  the  shore,  and 
Mary's  heart  throbbed  with  the  anticipation  of  free- 
dom. Friends  were  jn  the  opposite  side  of  the  calm 
waters,  awaiting  the  bark.    One  of  the  oarsmen  snd- 


232 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


denly  suspecting  the  disguise,  approached  the  Queen, 
and  pleasantly  began  to  lift  the  veil.  The  impulsive 
and  strrtled  Mary,  extending  her  white  hand  to  pre- 
vent the  view  of  her  face,  revealed,  in  the  delicate  and 
snowy  signal,  the  dreaded  majesty  of  the  dethroned 
sovereign.  She  assumed  the  bolder  tone  of  authority, 
and  commanded  the  boatmen  to  proceed.  But  they 
feared  the  Laird  of  Lochleven  more  than  the  anger 
of  a  royal  captive,  and  returned  without  delay  to  the 
castle.  Mary  entered  her  tower  in  bitter  disappoint- 
ment and  grief.  This  was  on  the  25th  of  March,  1568. 
She  wrote  to  Catherine  de  Medici,  "  I  have  with  great 
difficulty  dispatched  the  bearer  of  this  to  inform  you 
of  my  misery,  and  entreat  you  to  have  pity  upon  me." 
May  1st,  she  addressed  Elizabeth  in  similar  but  more 
pathetic  and  supplicating  terms,  and  renewed  her  ap- 
peals to  the  court  of  France. 

George  Douglas,  the  lover,  was  not  idle.  He  had 
continued  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lochleven,  and 
mused  day  and  night  upon  plans  for  the  escape 
of  the  Queen.  He  resolved  upon  another  exper- 
iment, May  2d,  which  was  Sunday.  Communi- 
cating with  Mary,  Lord  Seton  and  the  Hamiltons, 
through  a  page,  sixteen  years  of  age,  called  the  Little 
Douglas,"  he  had  well  and  successfully  arranged  the 
plot.  Seaton  and  others  were  to  receive  the  prisoner 
at  the  castle  gates.  At  the  hour  of  meals,  the  doors 
»)f  the  fortress  were  all  shut,  and  the  keys  laid  beside 
the  castellan.*  "When  the  appointed  occasion  arrived, 


*  Governor  of  the  castle. 


MARY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


233 


the  page  placed  the  plate  before  the  Laird,  and,  drop 
ping  his  napkin  over  the  keys,  bore  them  unobserved 
away.  He  hastened  to  Mary,  who,  attired  in  a  ser- 
vant's dress,  followed  him  through  the  gate,  which 
was  locked  behind  them,  to  prevent  pursuit.  They 
then  stepped  into  a  boat,  and  removing  the  fastening, 
rowed  arrow-like  across  Lochleven.  As  the  bark 
touched  the  beach,  George  Douglas  and  Lord  Seton, 
who  had  been  secreted  in  an  adjacent  village,  met  the 
smiling,  hopeful  Queen.  Yaulting  lightly  to  the  sad- 
dle of  her  horse,  she  dashed  off  towards  Widdry  Cas- 
tle, in  West  Lothian,  the  seat  of  Seton.  Eesting  a 
few  hours,  she  journeyed  forward  to  the  strong  for- 
tress of  Hamilton,  and  was  met  by  Lord  Claud  Ham- 
ilton, with  a  company  of  fifty  horsemen.  Upon  her 
arrival,  she  was  received  with  the  salutations  of  the 
Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews.  Mary  Stuart  now  pre- 
pared to  assert  her  right  to  the  throne  of  Bruce,  with 
arms.  She  sent  Beaton,  brother  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Glasgow,  to  France,  to  crave  assistance  in  the 
coming  struggle,  and  dispatched  a  messenger  to 
Dunbar,  anticipating  the  surrender  of  the  castle  to 
her  command. 

The  tidings  of  her  deliverance  flew  like  the  morn- 
ing light,  and  the  friends  of  former  days,  who  had 
continued  loyal,  with  the  forgiving  and  the  disaffected 
toward  Murray,  thronged  around  her  to  ofi'er  their 
love  and  lives  to  the  beautiful  Queen  of  Scotland. 
About  forty  bishops,  earls  and  lords,  and  a  hundred 
barons,  signed  a  league  to  place  again  the  sceptre  in 
her  hand.    In  the  presence  of  her  council,  she  revoked 


234 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


lier  abdication,  declared  Murraj  a  traitor,  and  found 
lierself,  in  a  brief  period,  at  the  bead  of  a  force  of  six 
thousand  men. 

The  ambassador  of  Charles  IX.,  of  France,  sought 
her  camp,  and  recognized  her  as  the  rightful  sovereign 
of  the  realm  ;  and  Elizabeth  offered  aid  to  re-establish 
lier  authority,  if  she  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
foreign  assistance.  Mary's  situation  was  extremely 
perilous,  because  if  she  triumphed  on  the  field,  the 
Hamiltons  would  urge  with  resistless  power  the  mar- 
riage of  a  member  of  tlieir  family ;  if  she  lost  the 
battle  she  would  be  at  the  mercy  of  Murray.  With 
prudent  policy,  she  forwarded  to  the  regent  proposals 
of  reconciliation  between  the  two  parties.  He  was 
at  Glasgow,  holding  a  court  of  justice,  guarded  only  by 
his  suite,  when  he  heard  of  his  sister's  safe  arrival  at 
Hamilton  Castle,  eight  miles  from  his  judicial  hall. 
Never  did  the  heroism  of  his  character,  the  Puritan 
texture,'  appear  more  sublimely.  Instead  of  flying 
for  recruits  as  advised  to  do,  he  remained,  without  be- 
traying the  shadow  of  a  fear  upon  his  bold  heart,  and 
won  both  the  greater  admiration,  and  the  more  deter- 
mined adherence  of  his  followers.  Requesting  time 
to  consider  the  overtures  of  the  Queen,  he  addressed 
himself  to  the  raising  of  an  army,  which  should  decide 
in  sanguinary  conflict,  if  necessary,  to  whom  the  crown 
of  Scotland  belonged.  His  rapid,  yet  calm  and  well 
arranged  plan  oi  operations,  inspired  his  partisans 
with  courage,  and  drew  to  his  standard  the  Presbyte- 
rian soldiery.  Edinburgh  gave  hirL  four  hundred 
hackbutters ;  Glasgow  offered  hei  strength ;  and 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


235 


Dunbar  Castle  repelled  Mary's  demand,  and  contin- 
ued true  to  the  regent.  The  Earl  of  Mar  hurried  to  the 
camp  the  trained  men  and  heavy  ordnance  of  Stirling ; 
from  the  Merse  country,  the  chivalrous  and  brave 
Alexander  Hume  brought  six  hundred  lances ;  under 
the  active,  earnest  Morton,  the  impetuous  Glen  cairn, 
and  the  venerable  Laird  of  Grange,  recruits  streamed 
in  from  valley  and  hill-side,  till  four  thousand  strong 
and  fearless  men  stood  around  the  reliable  Murray, 
waiting  his  command.  With  something  of  l^apo- 
leon's  tactics,  he  directed  an  immediate  attack  on  the 
ranks  of  the  Queen,  before  additional  volunteers  in- 
creased her  prospect  of  victory.  Though  Mary  pre- 
ferred greater  security  of  position,  the  Hamilton's 
were  confident  of  conquest,  and  anxious  for  battle. 
They  yielded  so  far  to  her  influence,  as  to  march  to- 
wards Dumbarton  Castle,  an  almost  impregnable  for- 
tress, with  the  determination  to  fight  if  pnrsued  —  an 
unfortunate  course,  exposing  their  rear  to  the  foe,  and 
hazarding  the  chances  of  an  engagement,  while  in 
l-etreat.  The  Queen's  army  had  to  pass  from  the  left 
bank  of  the  Clyde  to  the  south  of  Glasgow,  where 
Murray  had  entrenched  a  large  body  of  troops,  to 
guard  the  road.  The  veteran  Laird  of  Grange,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  advice,  occupied  the  heights  of 
Langside,  with  the  main  forces,  and  placed  in  ambush 
a  company  of  hackbutters,  beside  a  lane  through 
which  the  hostile  regiments  must  march  to  reach  the 
hill.  Tliis  path  was  through  a  defile,  intersected  with 
hedges,  and  divided  into  plantations,  with  their  dwel- 
lings and  foliage.    The  Queen's  cavalry,  though  vastly 


236 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


outnumbering  that  of  Murray,  could  not  figlit  witli 
advantage  there,  and  the  infantry,  confined  and  em- 
barrassed, would  be  quickly  subdued.  Tlie  Hamil- 
tons,  two  thousand  strong,  entered  the  defile  with  the 
step  of  warriors  w^ho  saw  through  the  smoke  of  con- 
flict, victory  folding  her  wings  on  their  standard, 
when,  like  a  storm  of  hail  from  a  viewless  cloud,  a 
wasting  fire  was  poured  from  the  ambush  upon  that 
astonished  vanguard.  Confusion  followed,  and  the  liv- 
ing men  pressed  up  the  declivity,  exhausted  and  scathed 
by  the  discharges  of  the  unseen  foe.  Upon  the  summit 
they  were  met  with  Murray's  welcome  of  pikemen,  who 
rushed  to  the  combat  with  desperate  valor.  The 
Laird  of  Grange  swept  from  one  wavering  line  to  an- 
other, to  reinforce  and  reanimate  ;  Morton,  with  math- 
ematical coolness  and  precision,  made  havoc  ;  Hume 
dashed  with  a  tempestuous  and  daring  on^et  upon 
the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  while  Murray  made  a  bril- 
liant and  decisive  charge  with  his  resistless  columns, 
on  the  reeling  host  of  Mary,  and  the  field  was  won 
The  triumph  gained  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  was 
so  complete,  that  only  three  hundred  of  the  Queen's 
army  were  left  dead  on  the  silent  eminence  ;  ten  pieces 
of  brass  cannon  were  taken,  and  a  large  number  of 
prisoners,  among  w^hom  were  distinguished  nobles. 
Mary  Stuart  had  watched  from  a  distant  elevation  the 
arena  of  battle,  where  her  throne  was  the  contested 
prize.  Her  ambitious  heart  throbbed  with  the  ex- 
citement of  hope,  while  her  battalions  moved  through 
the  leaden  hail  to  the  summit  of  Langside ;  that  heart 
was  tossed  with  conflicting  emotions,  as  the  carnage 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SOOTS.  237 


deepened,  and  sank  with  despair  when  Murray  swept 
down  upon  the  wavering  ranks.  Descending  with 
haste  to  the  plain,  she  mounted  her  horse,  and  attend- 
ed by  a  few  servants,  rode  in  a  wild  gallop  towards 
Dumfries,  neither  halting  or  slackening  speed  till 
Bixty  miles  lay  between  her  and  the  scene  of  hopeless 
defeat.  At  Dundrennan  Abbey,  she  gazed  a  moment 
on  the  waters,  and  chose  a  bark  for  England,  instead  of 
a  home  in  France.  Relying  upon  the  repeated  assu- 
rances of  Elizabeth's  kindness,  she  resolved  to  cast 
herself  upon  the  mercy  of  the  Queen,  to  whom  she 
^  wrote  as  follows  : 

"My  very  dear  sister,  without  giving  you  a  narra- 
tive of  all  my  misfortunes,  since  they  must  be  known 
to  you  already,  I  will  tell  you  that  those  of  my  sub- 
jects whom  I  have  most  benefitted,  and  who  were 
under  the  greatest  obligations  to  me,  after  having 
revolted  against  me,  kept  me  in  prison,  and  treated 
me  with  the  utmost  indignity,  have  at  last  entirely 
driven  me  from  my  kingdom,  and  reduced  me  to  such 
a  condition  that,  after  God,  I  have  no  hope  in  any 
one  but  you." 

Lord  Herries,  who  was  with  Mary,  sent  a  request  to 
the  deputy  governor  of  Carlisle  for  permission  to  enter 
the  city  ;  but  before  an  answer  could  arrive,  the  fugi 
tive  Queen  rashly  crossed  the  Solway  Frith,  in  a  fish- 
erman's boat,  and  May  16th,  landed  at  Worthington, 
on  the  Cumberland  coast.  She  immediately  addressed 
Elizabeth : 


238 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam  my  good  sister,  I  believe  you  are  not  igno- 
rant liow  long  certain  of  my  subjects,  whom  from 
the  least  of  my  kingdom  I  have  raised  to  be  the  first, 
have  taken  upon  themselves  to  involve  me  in  trouble, 
and  to  do  what  it  appears  they  had  in  view  from  the 
first.  You  know  how  they  purposed  to  seize  me  and 
the  late  King  my  husband,  from  which  attempt  it 
pleased  God  to  protect  us,  and  to  permit  us  to  expel 
them  from  the -country,  where,  at  your  request,  I 
again  afterward  received  them  ;  though,  on  their  re- 
turn they  committed  another  crime,  that  of  holding 
me  a  prisoner,  and  killing  in  my  presence  a  servant 
of  mine,  I  being  at  the  time  in  a  state  of  pregnancy. 
It  again  pleased  God  that  I  should  save  myself  from 
their  hands  ;  and,  as  above  said,  I  not  only  pardoned 
them,  but  even  received  them  into  favor.  They,  how- 
ever, not  yet  satisfied  with  so  many  acts  of  kindness, 
have,  on  the  contrary,  in  spite  of  their  promises,  de- 
vised, favored,  subscribed  to,  and  aided  in  a  crime,  for 
the  purpose  of  charging  it  falsely  upon  me,  as  I  hope 
fully  to  make  you  understand.  They  have,  under  this 
pretence,  arrayed  themselves  against  me,  accusing  me 
of  being  ill  advised,  and  pretending  a  desire  of  seeing 
me  delivered  from  bad  counsels,  in  order  to  point  out 
to  me  the  things  that  required  reformation.  I,  feeling 
myself  innocent,  and  desirous  to  avoid  the  shedding 
of  blood,  placed  myself  in  their  hands,  wishing  to  re- 
form what  was  amiss.  They  immediately  seized  and 
imprisoned  me.  When  I  upbraided  them  with  a 
breach  of  their  promise,  and  requested  to  be  inform- 


MART   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


239 


ed  why  I  was  tliiis  treated,  they  all  absented  them- 
selves. I  demanded  to  be  heard  in  council,  which 
was  refused  me.  In  short,  they  have  kept  me  with- 
out any  servant,  except  two  women  —  a  cook  and  a 
surgeon ;  and  they  have  threatened  to  kill  me,  if  I 
did  not  sign  an  abdication  of  my  crown,  which  the 
fear  of  immediate  death  caused  me  to  do,  as  I  have 
since  proved  before  the  whole  of  the  nobility,  of 
which  I  hope  to  afford  you  evidence. 

"  After  this,  they  again  laid  hold  of  me  in  Parlia- 
ment, without  saying  why,  and  without  hearing  me ; 
forbidding,  at  the  same  time,  every  advocate  to  plead 
for  me,  and  compelling  the  rest  to  acquiesce  in  their 
unjust  usurpation  of  my  rights  ;  they  have  robbed  me 
of  everything  I  had  in  the  world,  never  permitting 
me  either  to  write  or  to  speak,  in  order  that  I  might 
not  contradict  their  false  inventions. 

"  At  last,  it  pleased  God  to  deliver  me,  when  they 
thought  of  putting  me  to  death,  that  they  might 
make  more  sure  of  their  power,  though  I  repeatedly 
offered  to  answer  anything  they  had  to  say  to  me,  and 
to  join  them  in  the  punishment  of  those  who  should 
be  guilty  of  any  crime.  In  short,  it  pleased  God  to 
deliver  me,  to  the  great  content  of  all  my  subjects, 
except  Murray,  Morton,  the  Humes,  Glencairn,  Mar, 
and  Semple,  to  whom,  after  that  my  whole  nobility 
was  come  from  all  parts,  I  sent  to  say  that,  notwith- 
standing their  ingratitude  and  unjust  cruelty  employ- 
ed against  me,  I  was  willing  to  invite  them  to  return 
to  their  duty,  and  to  offer  them  security  of  their  lives 
and  estates,  and  to  hold  a  Parliament  for  the  purpose 


240 


MARY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


of  reforming  everytliing.  I  sent  twice.  They  seized 
and  imprisoned  my  messengers,  and  made  proclama- 
tion, declaring  traitors  all  those  who  should  assist  me, 
and  guilty  of  that  odious  crime.  I  demanded  that 
they  should  name  one  of  them,  and  I  would  give  him 
up,  and  begged  them,  at  the  same  time,  to  deliver  to 
me  such  as  should  be  named  to  them.  They  seized 
upon  my  officer  and  my  proclamation.  I  sent  to  de- 
mand a  safe  conduct  to  my  Lord  Boyd,  in  order  to 
treat  of  accommodation,  not  wishing,  as  far  as  I  might 
be  concerned,  for  any  effusion  of  blood.  They  re- 
fused, saying  that  those  who  had  not  been  true  to 
their  regent  and  to  my  son,  whom  they  denominate 
king,  should  leave  me,  and  put  themselves  at  their 
disposal  —  a  thing  at  which  the  whole  nobility  were 
greatly  offended. 

"  Seeing,  therefore,  that  they  were  only  a  few  indi- 
viduals, and  that  my  nobility  were  more  attached  to 
me  than  ever,  I  was  in  hope  that,  in  course  of  time, 
and  under  your  favor,  they  would  be  gradually  re- 
duced ;  and,  seeing  that  they  said  they  would  either 
retake  all  or  die,  I  proceeded  towards  Dumbarton, 
passing  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  them,  my 
nobility  accompanying  me,  marching  in  order  of  bat- 
tle between  them  and  me  ;  which  they  seeing,  sallied 
forth,  and  came  to  cut  off  my  way  and  take  me.  My 
people  seeing  this,  and  moved  by  that  extreme  malice 
of  my  enemies,  with  a  view  to  check  their  progress, 
encountered  them  without  order,  so  that,  though  they 
were  twice  their  number,  their  sudden  advance  caus- 
ed them  so  great  a  disadvantage,  that  God  permitted 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


241 


tliem  to  be  discomfited,  and  several  killed  and  taken  ; 
some  of  tliem  were  criiellj  killed  wlien  taken  on  tlieir 
retreat.  The  pursuit  was  immediately  interrupted, 
in  order  to  take  me  on  my  way  to  Dumbarton ;  they 
stationed  people  in  every  direction,  either  to  kill  or 
take  me.  But  God,  through  his  infinite  goodness,  has 
preserved  me,  and  I  escaped  to  my  Lord  Ilerries', 
who,  as  well  as  other  gentlemen,  have  come  with  me 
into  your  country,  being  assured  that,  hearing  the 
cruelty  of  my  enemies,  and  how  they  have  treated 
me,  you  will,  conformably  to  your  kind  disposition, 
and  the  confidence  I  have  in  you,  not  only  receive  for 
the  safety  of  my  life,  but  also  aid  and  assist  me  in  my 
just  quarrel,  and  I  shall  solicit  other  princes  to  do  the 
same.  I  entreat  you  to  send  to  fetch  me  as  soon  as 
you  possibly  can,  for  I  am  in  a  pitiable  condition,  not 
only  for  a  Queen,  but  for  a  gentlewoman  :  for  I  have 
notliing  in  the  world  but  what  I  had  on  my  person 
when  I  made  my  escape,  traveling  across  the  country 
the  first  day,  and  not  having  since  ever  ventured  to 
proceed,  except  in  the  nigh't,  as  I  hope  to  declare  be- 
fore you,  if  it  pleases  you  to  have  pity,  as  I  trust  you 
will,  upon  my  extreme  misfortune  ;  of  which  I  will 
forbear  complaining,  in  order  not  to  importune  you, 
and  pray  to  God  that  he  may  give  to  you  a  happy 
state  of  health  and  long  life,  and  to  me  patience,  and 
that  consolation  which  I  expect  to  receive  from  you, 
to  whom  I  present  my  humble  commendations. 
From  Workinton,  the  17th  of  May. 

"  Your  most  faithful  and  affectionate  good  sister, 
and  cousin,  and  escaped  prisoner,         Majiy  R." 

K  16 


242 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Elizabeth  read  this  affecting  plea  of  her  rival  with 
deep  and  contending  emotions.  The  inquiries  which 
enlisted  her  thought  and  tried  her  sympathies,  were, 
whether  she  should  send  Mary  back  to  Scotland  with 
a  conquering  army,  give  her  a  home  in  England,  or 
to  permit  her  to  return  to  France.  Danger  environ- 
ed each  of  these  possible  plans  of  meeting  the  extrem- 
ity of  a  fallen  Queen.  Again  on  the  throne,  she  might 
overthrow  the  Protestant  faith,  and  renew  her  pre- 
tentions to  the  crown  of  England.  If  she  remained 
on  British  soil,  there  would  be  the  opportunity  for 
intrigues  and  conspiracies  with  the  Catholics.  Should 
Mary  retire  to  France,  the  Guises  and  court  of  that 
papal  kingdom  might  give  her  fearful  strength  to 
awaken  the  tumult  of  sanguinary  conflicts,  political 
and  religious. 

May  28th,  another  letter  was  addressed  to  the  doubt- 
ing and  suspicious  Elizabeth,  imploring  mercy. 

THE  QUEEI?  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam,  my  good  sister,  I  have  received  two  letters 
from  you,  the  first  of  which,  relating  to  myself,  I  hope 
to  answer,  and  to  learn  from  my  Lord  Scrop,  and  your 
vice-chamberlain,  your  natural  inclination  toward  me, 
which  I  have  always  promised  myself  with  certainty, 
and  wish  that  my  affection  for  you  w^ere  as  apparent 
as  it  is  sincere,  and  then  you  would  think  your  kind- 
ness better  bestowed,  than  I  could  persuade  jou  by 
my  humble  

"  Madam,  I  am  sorry  that  the  haste  in  which  I  wrote 
my  last  letter,  caused  me  to  omit,  as  I  perceive  by 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


243 


yours,  the  principal  thing  wliicli  induced  me  to  write 
to  you,  and  which  is  also  the  principal  cause  of  my 
coming  into  this  kingdom,  which  is  that,  having  for  a 
long  time  been  a  prisoner,  and,  as  I  have  already  in- 
formed you,  being  unjustly  treated,  as  well  by  their 
acts  as  by  their  false  reports,  I  wished  above  all  to  lay 
my  complaint  before  you,  as  well  on  account  of  our 
near  relationship,  equality  of  rank,  and  professed 
friendship,  as  to  clear  myself  before  you  from  those 
calumnious  charges  which  they  have  dared  •  to  prefer 
against  my  honor,  and  also  for  the  assurance  I  had 
that,  above  all  things,  you  would  consider  that,  not 
being  punished  for  the  crimes  committed  aforetime 
against  me,  which,  at  your  request,  I  forgave  these 
ungrateful  subjects,  and  restored  them  to  their  former 
state,  to  the  detriment  and  prejudice  of  mine,  whence 
it  is  evident,  that  out  of  respect  to  you,  I  did  what 
has  caused  my  ruin,  or  at  least  very  near  it.  .  .  . 
With  a  view  to  repair  the  mischief,  and  to  amend  the 
error  that  has  arisen  from  it,  I  have  dispatched  my 
LordHerries,  my  faithful  and  well  beloved  subject,  to 
inform  you  fully  of  these  things,  and  others  concern- 
ing which  I  learned  from  Messieurs  Scrop  and  Knowles 
[Lord  Scrope  and  Sir  Francis  Knollys]  that  you  are 
in  doubt,  requesting  you  to  believe  him  as  myself, 
and  forthwith  to  let  me  have  your  answer  in  writing, 
whether  it  would  be  agreeable  to  you  if  I  were  to 
come  without  delay  and  without  ceremony  to  you, 
and  tell  you  more  particularly  the  truth  about  all  that 
has  happened  to  me,  in  contradiction  to  all  their  lies, 
which  I  am  sure  you  would  have  pleasure  to  hear,  as 


244: 


MARY    QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


you  liave  pleased  to  write  me  in  your  letters,  that  you 
could  take  my  justification  in  your  own  hands  till  you 
have  replaced  me  in  the  state  to  which  Heaven  had 
pleased  to  call  me,  and  that  all  princes  are  boimd  to 
support  and  assist  one  another. 

"  I  send,  on  this  occasion,  m.y  cousin,  my  Lord  Flem- 
in,  a  faithful  subject,  in  order  that,  being  assured  by 
you,  he  may  proceed  to  France  to  thank  the  king, 
monsieur,  my  good  brother,  for  his  ....  and 
good  offices,  which  I  reserve  for  another  time,  if  I 
have  occasion  for  them,  contenting  myself  with  your 
aid  and  support,  w^hich  I  shall  feel  myself  obliged  to 
acknowledge  as  long  as  I  live,  in  every  way  in  my 
power.  If,  on  the  contrary,  that  which  I  reckon  up- 
on does  not  come  from  you,  and  from  some  others,  for 
considerations  wdiich  I  am  not  aware  of,  at  least  I 
trust  that,  freely  as  I  came  to  throw  myself  into  your 
arms,  as  my  best  friend,  you  will  permit  me,  in  your 
refusal,  to  seek  succor  from  other  princes  and  friends, 
my  allies,  as  may  seem  most  convenient  to  me,  with- 
out any  prejudice  to  the  eminent  friendship  between 
us  two ;  and  whatever  you  decide  w411  please  you,  I 
shall  be  satisfied  with,  though  one  would  have  been 
more  agreeable  to  me  than  the  other ;  for,  God  be 
thanked,  I  have  got  good  friends  and  neighbors  in 
my  so  just  quarrel;  and  there  is  nothing  to  prevent 
m«  from  applying  to  them  but  this  detention,  whicli, 
to  speak  freely  to  you  as  you  do  to  me,  I  think  rather 
harsh  and  strange,  considering  that  I  came  so  frankly 
into  your  country  without  any  condition,  or  any  dis- 
trust of  your  friendship,  promised  in  your  frequent 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


245 


letters ;  and  tliougli  I  have  lived  in  a  manner  a  pris- 
oner in  your  castle  for  a  fortnight,  since  the  arrival 
of  your  counsellors,  I  have  not  obtained  permission 
to  go  to  you  to  plead  my  cause,  as  my  confidence  in 
you  was  such  that  I  asked  for  nothing  more  than  to 
go  to  you  to  make  you  acquainted  with  my  grievances. 

"  !N'ow  I  besech  you  to  consider  how  important  my 
long  detention  is  to  me,  and  for  the  cause  of  my  ruin, 
which,  thank  God,  is  not  gaining  ground.  Signify 
then  to  me  the  consent  of  your  natural  affection  for 
your  good  sister,  and  cousin,  and  firm  friend.  Re- 
member that  I  have  kept  my  promise.    I  send  you 

my  in  a  ring,  and  I  have  brought 

you  the  signal,  in  order  to  tie  the  knot  more  firmly ; 
if  you  are  not  disposed  to  wrong  me  .  .  .  w^hom 
you  may  believe  as  you  w^ould  myself.  After  this 
long  address,  I  shall  not  trouble  you  further  than  to 
present  my  affection  and  recommendations  to  your 
good  grace,  and  to  pray  God  to  grant  you,  madam, 
health,  and  a  long  and  happy  life. 

"  Your  very  faithful  and  

"Karlil,  the  28th  of  May,  1568." 

Wliatever  were  the  transient  impulses  of  compas- 
sion excited  by  this  plaintive  plea,  Elizabeth  adhered 
to  her  policy,  and  secretly  decided  to  keep  Mary 
Stuart  in  her  own  hands.  As  preliminary  to  the  ulti- 
mate purpose,  and  to  prepare  the  way,  she  gave  the 
captive  a  royal  journey  from  Workington  to  Carlisle, 
and  lavished  upon  her  the  honors  due  to  a  Queen. 
After  the  pageantry  of  Mary's  entry  into  tlie  city 


246 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


was  over,  she  was  siirronnded  witli  spies,  and  guarded 
hy  soldiery.  Elizabeth  dispatched  letters  of  condo- 
lence, but  refused  to  see  her  until  she  had  proved 
herself  innocent  of  Darnley's  murder.  The  following 
passage  is  from  the  report  of  Lord  Scrope  and  Sir 
Francis  Knollys,  warden  and  vice-chamberlain  of  the 
border,  to  Elizabeth,  after  the  interview  of  May  28tli : 

"  We  found  her  in  her  answers  to  have  an  eloquent 
tongue  and  a  discreet  head ;  and  it  seemeth  by  her 
doings,  that  she  hath  stout  courage  and  liberal  heart 
adjoined  thereunto ;  and,  after  our  delivery  of  your 
highness's  letters,  she  fell  into  some  passion,  with  the 
water  in  her  eyes,  and  therewith,  she  drew  us  with 
her  into  her  bed-cliamber,  where  she  complained  unto 
us,  for  that  your  highness  did  not  meet  her  expecta- 
tions, for  the  admitting  her  into  your  presence  forth- 
with ;  that  upon  good  declaration  of  her  innocence, 
your  highness  would  either  without  delay  give  her 
aid  yourself,  to  the  subduing  her  enemies,  or  else, 
being  now  come  of  good  will,  and  not  of  necessity 
into  your  hands  (for  a  good  and  greatest  part  of  her 
subjects,  said  she,  remain  fast  to  her  still)  your  high- 
ness would,  at  least,  forthwith  gis^e  her  passage 
through  your  country  into  France,  to  seek  aid  at  other 
princes'  hands ;  not  doubting,  but  both  the  French 
king,  and  the  king  of  Spain,  would  give  her  relief  to 
her  satisfaction.  And  here  she  fell  into  discourses, 
that  the  cause  of  the  war  and  disobedient  treasons  of 
these  her  subjects,  was  thereby  to  keep  that  which 
she  had  too  liberally  given  them  by  violence ;  since, 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


247 


tlirougli  her  revocation  wliereof,  when  of  full  age, 
they  could  not  enjoy  the  same  by  law ;  and  withal 
(slie  affirmed)  that  both  Lethington  and  the  Lord 
Morton  were  assisting  to  the  murder  of  her  husband." 

Lord  Ilerries  was  now  sent  to  London  to  negotiate 
a  loan  upon  the  Queen's  credit  as  dowager  of  France, 
with  which  to  sustain  the  cause  of  her  partizans  in 
Scotland.  Retaining  Duml)arton  Castle,  they  were 
strong  and  unyielding.  Murray  was  unsparing  and 
persevering  in  his  efforts  to  subdue  them,  but  failed 
to  exterminate  the  reanimated  foe.  Lord  Fleming 
was  chosen  to  represent  Mary's  cause  in  France,  with 
most  pathetic  messages  to  Charles  IX.,  Catherine  and 
the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine.  "  She  besought  the  French 
court  to  deliver  her  from  her  unfortunate  position  by 
sending  two  thousand  infantry  to  the  relief  of  Dum- 
barton ;  by  furnishing  the  money  and  accoutrements 
necessary  for  the  equipment  and  maintenance  of  five 
hundred  horse-soldiers ;  by  sending  artillery  and  am- 
munition to  enable  her  to  recover  the  other  fortresses 
of  Scotland ;  and  by  bestowing  the  order  of  St.  Mi- 
chael on  two  or  three  of  those  noblemen  who  had 
especially  distinguished  themselves  by  their  valor  and 
deTotion  to  her  cause,  in  order  to  encourage  the  oth- 
erp,  and  confirm  them  in  their  fidelity."  Seizing  upon 
M;\ry's  offer  to  establish  her  innocence,  Elizabeth 
de  ermined  upon  a  formal  trial  of  the  prisoner.  Mur- 
ra  r  urged  it,  with  extravagant  promises  to  furnish 
0'  )rwhelming  evidence  of  his  sister's  guilt. 

ifter  some  delay.  Lords  Ilerries  and  Fleming,  who 


248 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


had  readied  London,  were  admitted  into  tlie  presence 
of  the  politic  and  ascendant  "Virgin  Queen,"  at 
whose  tribunal  of  justice  never  was  arraigned  a  crim- 
inal of  so  manifold  gifts  and  honors,  and  around  whom 
gathered  an  interest  extensive  as  regal  sway.  The 
envoys  advocated  zealously  the  claims  of  Mary. 
Elizabeth  replied : 

"  But  her  subjects  have  disseminated  throughout  the 
world  a  scandalous  and  disgraceful  report,  of  which 
she  is  well  aware  ;  her  honor  and  mine  require  that 
the  matter  should  be  looked  into  —  not  that  I  should 
constitute  myself  her  judge,  but  that  I  should  inquire 
of  her  accusers  what  cause  they  have  to  speak  thus 
of  her,  and  by  what  right  they  have  seized  her  person, 
her  crown,  her  fortresses,  and  all  her  property,  in  doing 
which  they  cannot  be  excusable."  "But,  madam,"  said 
Lord  Herries,  "if  it  should  appear  to  be  otherwise, 
which  God  forbid  ?"  "  Even  then,  I  would  not  fail  to 
arrange  with  her  subjects,  in  the  best  and  most  careful 
manner  possible,  so  as  to  secure  her  honor  and  provide 
for  their  safety."  When,  however,  Llerries  requested 
that  his  mistress  might  be  allowed  to  withdraw  to  the 
continent,  or  at  all  events,  to  return  to  Scotland  in 
the  little  boat  which  had  brought  her  over  to  Eng- 
land, Elizabeth  absolutely  refused.  "  As  for  the  pas- 
sage of  my  good  sister  into  France,  I  will  not  prove 
myself  so  imprudent  as  to  permit  it,  and  be  thus  held 
in  low  esteem  among  other  princes.  When  she  was 
there  before,  the  King,  her  husband,  assumed  for  her 
the  title  and  arms  belonging  to  my  crown,  though  I 
was  then  alive  ;  and  I  will  not  place  myself  again  in 


MARY 


QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


249 


such  embarrassing  circumstances  As  for 

her  return  into  Scotland  in  the  humble  conveyance 
which  you  have  mentioned,  since  she  has  come  into 
my  country,  it  would  be  neither  to  her  honor  nor  to 
mine  for  her  to  go  back ;  and  besides,  it  would  not  be 
to  her  advantage  to  do  so." 

Accordingly,  Elizabeth  dispatched  an  ambassador 
to  Murray,  then  le«wmg  an  army  of  six  thousand  men 
against  the  heroic  friends  of  Mary  Stuart,  and  de- 
manded a  truce,  until  she  had  decided  the  right  to 
the  crown  of  Scotland,  and  the  criminality  of  the  con- 
tending parties.  She  rebuked  the  regent  for  the 
daring  deeds  which  gained  his  elevation,  and  seemed 
anxious  to  inspire  Mary  with  hope  ;  either  because 
she  felt  the  promptings  of  pity,  or  to  make  surer  work 
of  securing  her  victim ;  that  Elizabeth  was  not  alto- 
gether demoniac  in  these  complicated  interests  at 
stake,  is  clear.    In  this  strain  she  addressed  Murray : 

"  All  these  things  cannot  but  sound  very  strange  in 
the  ears  of  us,  being  a  prince  sovereign,  having  do- 
minions and  subjects  committed  to  our  power,  as  she 
had.  For  remedy  whereof  she  requireth  our  aid,  as 
her  next  cousin  and  neighbor ;  and  for  justification 
of  her  whole  cause,  is  content  to  commit  the  hearing 
and  ordering  of  the  same  simply  to  us.  We  have 
thought  good  and  necessary,  not  only  to  impart  thus 
much  unto  you,  wherewith  she  chargeth  you,  and  oth- 
ers joined  with  you,  but  also  to  require  and  advise  you 
utterly  to  forbear  from  all  manner  of  hostilitv  and 


250  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


persecution  against  all  siicli  as  have  lately  taken  part 
with  the  said  Queen,  and  to  suspend  all  manner  of 
actions  and  proceedings  against  them,  both  by  law  and 
arms,  and  to  impart  unto  ns  plainly  and  sufficiently 
all  that  which  shall  be  meet  to  inform  us  of  the  truth, 
for  your  defence,  in  such  weighty  crimes  and  causes 
as  tlie  said  Queen  hath  already  or  shall  hereafter  ob- 
ject against  you,  contrary  to  the  duty  of  natural  born 
subjects  ;  so  that  we,  being  duly  informed  on  all  parts, 
may,  by  the  assistance  of  God's  grace,  direct  our 
actions  and  orders  principally  to  his  glory,  and  next 
to  the  conservation  of  our  own  honor  in  the  sight  of 
all  other  princes,  and  finally  to  the  maintenance  and 
increase  of  peace  and  concord  betwixt  both  these  two 
realms." 

Middlemore,  the  plenipotentiary  to  Mary,  delivered 
his  message  in  the  presence  of  Scrope  and  Knollys : 
the  burden  of  which  was  the  reiterated  determination 
of  Elizabeth  not  to  receive  her  rival,  until  acquitted 
of  participation  in  the  recent  regicide.  When  allu- 
sion was  made  to  the  judgment  of  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, and  a  trial,  Mary  Stuart's  passion  was  aroused, 
and  she  answered  indignantly  :  "  I  have  no  other 
judge  but  God,  neither  can  any  take  upon  themselves 
to  judge  me.  Of  my  own  free  will,  indeed,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  good  trust  I  reposed  in  the  Queen,  my 
sister,  I  offered  to  make  her  the  judge  of  my  cause. 
Eut  how  can  that  be,  when  she  will  not  suffer  me  to 
come  to  her." 

Mary  demanded  an  interview  with  Elizabeth,  or 


UARY    QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


251 


permission  to  depart  with  or  without  assistance,  and 
again  imploringly  wrote  to  the  unrelenting  arbiter  of 
her  fate. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam,  nij  good  sister — I  thank  jou  for  the  dispo- 
sition which  you  have  to  listen  to  the  justification  of 
my  honor,  which  ought  to  be  a  matter  of  importance 
to  all  princes,  and  especially  to  you,  as  I  have  the 
honor  to  be  so  near  of  kin  to  you.  But  it  seems  to 
me,  that  those  who  persuade  you  that  my  recejDtion 
would  turn  to  your  dishonor,  manifest  the  contrary. 
But,  alas,  madam,  when  did  you  ever  hear  a  prince 
censured  for  listening  in  person  to  the  grievances  of 
those  who  complain  that  they  have  been  falsely  ac- 
cused. Dismiss,  madam,  from  your  mind,  the  idea 
that  I  came  hither  to  save  my  life  ;  neither  the  world 
nor  all  Scotland  has  cast  me  out ;  but  to  recover  my 
honor,  and  to  obtain  support  to  enable  me  to  chastise 
my  false  accusers,  not  to  answer  them  as  their  equal, 
for  I  know  that  they  ought  not  to  enter  into  engage- 
ments against  their  sovereign,  but  to  accuse  them  be- 
fore you,  that  I  have  chosen  you  from  among  all  other 
princes,  as  my  nearest  kinswoman  and  perfect  friend ; 
doing  as  if  I  supposed  it  to  be  an  honor  to  be  called 
the  queen-restorer,  who  hoped  to  receive  this  kindness 
from  you,  giving  you  the  honor  and  the  glory  all  ray 
life,  making  you  also  thoroughly  acquainted  with  my 
innocence,  and  how  fiilsely  I  have  been  led. 

"  I  see,  to  my  great  regret,  that  I  am  mistaken. 
You  say  that  you  are  counseled  by  persons  of  high 


252 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


rank  to  be  guarded  in  this  affair.  God  forbid  that  1 
should  be  cause  of  dishonor  to  you,  when  it  was  my 
intention  to  seek  the  contrary !  Wherefore,  if  you 
please,  as  my  affairs  require  such  great  haste,  let  mo 
see  if  the  other  princes  will  act  in  the  same  manner, 
and  then  you  cannot  be  blamed.  Permit  me  to  see 
those  who  will  support  me  without  any  apprehension 
of  that  sort,  and  take  what  security  you  will  of  me 
when  I  shall  afterward  place  myself  again  in  your 
hands.  Though  I  think  you  would  not  desire  that, 
when  replaced  on  my  throne,  my  honors  restored,  and 
all  foreigners  out  of  the  country,  I  shall  come  to  plead 
my  cause  before  you,  and  to  justify  myself  for  the 
sake  of  my  honor  and  of  the  friendship  which  I  bare 
you,  and  not  for  the  satisfaction  I  should  have  in  an- 
swering false  subjects;  or  even  sending  for  me  with- 
out giving  credit,  as  it  seems  you  do,  to  those  who 
are  not  worthy  of  it.  Grant  me  your  favor  and  as- 
sistance first,  and  then  you  shall  see  whether  I  am 
worthy.  If  you  find  that  I  am  not,  and  that  my 
demands  are  unjust,  or  to  your  prejudice,  or  contrary 
to  your  honor,  it  will  then  be  time  to  get  rid  of  me, 
and  to  let  me  seek  my  fortune  without  troubling  you. 
For,  being  innocent,  as  thank  God  I  know  I  am,  are 
you  not  doing  me  wrong  to  keep  me  here,  on  getting 
out  of  one  prison  as  it  were  in  another,  encouraging 
my  false  enemies  to  persevere  in  their  lying  ways, 
and  disheartening  my  friends  by  delaying  the  assist- 
ance promised  them  from  other  quarters,  if  I  wished 
to  employ  it  ?  I  have  all  the  good  men  on  my  side, 
and  my  detention  may  bring  ruin  upon  them,  or  cause 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


2o3 


them  to  cliange  their  sentiments,  and  then  there  will 
be  a  new  conquest  to  make.  For  your  sake,  I  par- 
doned those  who  are  at  this  moment  seeking  my  ruin  ; 
of  which  I  can  accuse  you  before  God,  and    .    .  . 

further  delay  will  undo  me  Excuse  me, 

it  is  to  me  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance.  I 
must  speak  to  you  without  dissimulation.  You  have 
admitted  into  your  presence  a  bastard  brother  of  mine, 
who  fled  from  me,  and  you  refuse  me  the  favor,  and 
I  feel  assured,  that  the  juster  my  cause  the  longer  it 
will  be  delayed  ;  for  it  is  the  remedy  of  a  bad  cause 
to  stop  the  mouths  of  its  adversaries ;  besides,  1  know 
that  John  Wood  was  commissioned  to  procure  this 
detention,  as  their  most  certain  remedy  in  an  unjust 
quarrel  and  usurpation  of  authority. 

"  Wherefore,  I  beseech  you,  assist  me,  binding  me 
to  you  in  everything,  or  be  neuter.  And  permit  me 
to  try  what  I  can  do  elsewhere,  otherwise,  by  delay- 
ing matters,  you  will  injure  me  more  than  my  very 
enemies.  If  you  are  afraid  of  blame,  at  least,  for  the 
confidence  that  I  have  placed  in  you,  do  nothing  eith- 
er for  or  against  me,  that  you  do  and  see  that  I  would 
do  for  my  honor,  being  at  liberty.  For  here  I  neither 
can  nor  will  answer  their  false  accusations,  though 
out  of  friendship  and  for  my  pleasure,  I  would  cheer- 
fully justify  myself  to  you,  but  not  in  the  form  of  a 
trial  with  my  subjects,  if  they  bark  at  me  wdth  my 
hands  tied.  Madam,  they  and  I  are  not  companions 
in  anything ;  and  if  I  were  to  be  kept  here  still  lon- 
ger, I  would  rather  die  than  make  myself  such. 

"  InTow,  speaking  as  your  good  sis^'er,  let  me  beseech 


ii54  MARY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 

jou,  for  the  sake  of  your  honor,  without  further  delay, 
to  send  back  my  Lord  Herries,  with  the  assurance 
that  you  will  assist  me,  as  he  has  requested  you  in  my 
name :  for  I  have  no  answer  either  fi-om  you  or  from 
him,  nor  your  license  as  above.  I  beseech  you,  also, 
since  I  am  come  to  place  myself  in  your  hands,  in 
which  I  have  been  detained  so  long  without  having 
any  certainty,  to  order  my  Lord  Scrcpe  to  allow  my 
subjects  to  have  access,  if  only  one,  two,  or  three,  to 
come  and  return,  and  to  bring  me  intelligence  about 
my  subjects,  otherwise  it  would  be  condemning  me 
and  my  defenders.  God  grant  that  you  may  listen 
to  what  I  have  intended  to  say  to  you  briefly  ;  I  should 
not  have  troubled  you  at  such  length,  though  I  do  not 
blame  you  in  the  least  for  these  underhand  practices 
against  me  ;  *  but  I  ho]3e,  notwithstanding  all  their 
fair  offices  and  falsely  colored  speeches,  that  you  will 
find  me  a  more  profitable  friend  than  they  can  be  to 
you.  I  shall  say  nothing  particular  but  by  word  of 
mouth.  Wherefore,  I  shall  conclude  with  my  hum- 
ble commendations  to  your  good  grace,  praying  God 
to  grant  you,  madam  my  good  sister,  health,  and  a 
long  and  very  happy  life. 

"  From  Carlil,  the  xiii  of  June,  1568. 
"  Yom*  good  sister  and  cousin, 

"MaryK." 

Tlie  kings  of  Europe  were  increasingly  interested 
spectators  of  the  approaching  crisis  in  the  history  of 
a  sovereign,  whose  destiny  would  be  an  example  to 
future  monarchs.    The  Queen,  whose  extraordinary 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  255 

power  of  beauty  and  genius  won  triumphs,  had  been 
watched  from  thrones  more  renu>te  than  Elizabeth's, 
wdio  cahnly  gazed  from  her  fastness,  like  a  mountain 
eagle  upon  an  invader  of  radiant  plumage,  till  the 
feared  and  envied  foe  was  bleeding  within  his  talons. 
The  crowned  heads  of  half  a  continent  saw  the  des- 
perate game,  but  occupied  with  insurrections  at  home, 
or  commotions  abroad,  offered  no  interposition.  Mont- 
morin,  the  envoy  of  Charles  IX.,  of  France,  asked 
Elizabeth  to  deal  kindly  with  Mary,  and  describes 
his  visit  to  Carlisle : 

"  The  room  wdiich  she  occupies  is  gloomy,  being 
lighted  only  by  one  casement,  latticed  with  iron  bars. 
You  go  to  it  through  three  other  rooms,  which  are 
guarded  and  occupied  by  hackbutters.  In  the  last  of 
these,  which  forms  the  ante-chamber  to  the  Queen's 
apartment,  resides  Lord  Scrope,  the  governor  of  the 
border  districts.  The  Queen  has  only  three  of  her 
women  with  her.  Her  servants  and  domestics  sleep 
out  of  the  castle.  The  doors  are  not  opened  until  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Queen  is  allow^ed  to  go 
as  far  as  the  church  in  the  town,  but  she  is  always 
accompanied  by  a  hundred  hackbutters.  She  re- 
quested Scrope  to  send  her  a  priest  to  say  mass; 
but  he  answered  that  there  were  no  priests  in  Eng- 
land." 

The  cloud  of  despair  settled  down  between  Mary 
and  the  throne  of  England,  and  she  appealed  to  the 
Cardinal  of  Lorraine  to  save  her  sinking  fortunes  from 


256 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


complete  ruin.  Her  words  are  siibdumg.  "  I  entreat 
you  to  have  pity  on  the  honor  of  your  poor  niece, 
and  to  procure  for  me  the  support  I  need.  Mean- 
while, I  beseech  you  to  send  me  some  money ;  for  I 
have  none  wherewith  to  buv  either  food  or  clotliin<r. 
The  Queen  of  England  has  sent  me  a  little  linen,  and 
supplies  me  with  one  dish.  The  rest  I  have  borrowed, 
but  I  can  get  no  more.  You  will  share  in  this  dis- 
grace. God  is  subjecting  me  to  a  hard  trial ;  never- 
theless, rest  assured  that  I  shall  die  a  Catholic.  God 
will  quickly  remove  me  from  these  miseries,  for  I 
have  suffered  insults,  calumnies,  imprisonment,  hun- 
ger, cold,  heat,  flight,  without  knowing  w^hither  to 
go,  for  ninety-two  miles  across  the  country  without 
stopping  or  dismounting,  and  then  being  obliged  to 
sleep  on  the  hard  ground,  and  drink  sour  milk,  and 
eat  oatmeal  without  bread ;  and  at  last  I  am  come 
into  this  country,  where,  as  a  reward,  I  am  nothing 
better  than  a  prisoner  ;  and  meanwhile  the  houses  of 
my  servants  are  pulled  down,  and  I  cannot  assist 
them,  and  my  servants  themselves  are  hanged,  and  I 
cannot  recompense  them." 

'No  aid  was  extended,  and  the  only  alternative  for 
Mary  was  to  meet  Murray  in  trial  before  the  judicial 
bar  of  Elizabeth.  She  was  more  narrowly  guarded, 
and  the  privy  council  of  England  "  decided  unani- 
mously that  Queen  Mary  should  be  removed  from  the 
frontier  to  some  place  in  the  interior  of  the  kingdom. 
They  maintained,  moreover,  that  in  virtue  of  the 
ancient  feudal  superiority  of  the  crown  of  England 
over  that  of  Scotland  —  a  superiority  which  had  fre 


MAET    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


257 


qiiently  been  asserted  by  the  one,  and  as  frequently 
denied  by  the  other  —  Queen  Mary  might  be  brought 
to  trial ;  that  the  wish  which  she  had  expressed  to  bo 
restored  to  her  throne  before  her  innocence  had  been 
proved,  or  else  permitted  to  withdraw  to  France  be- 
fore she  had  been  tried,  was  equally  opposed  to  the 
honor  and  safety  of  Elizabeth ;  but  that,  after  her 
cause  and  justification  had  been  thoroughly  examin- 
ed, she  should  be  taken  back  to  her  kingdom  and  re- 
stored to  her  authority." 

July  6th,  1568,  she  wrote  once  more  from  Carlisle 
to  Elizabeth,  repeating  her  condemnation  of  "  the 
rebels,"  complaining  of  additional  restraint,  and  closes 
with  this  eloquent  passage  : 

"  Good  sister,  be  of  another  mind.  Even  the  heart 
and  all  shall  be  yours,  and  at  your  commandment.  I 
thought  to  have  satisfied  you  wholly,  if  I  might  have 
seen  you.  Alas  !  do  not  as  the  serpent  that  stoppetli 
liis  hearing,  for  I  am  no  enchanter,  but  your  sister 
and  natural  cousin.  If  Csesar  had  not  disdained  to 
hear  or  read  the  complaint  of  an  advertiser,  he  had  not 
so  died.  Wliy  should  princes'  ears  be  stopped,  seeing 
they  are  painted  so  long ;  meaning  that  they  should 
hear  all,  and  be  well  advised  before  they  answer.  I 
am  not  of  the  nature  of  the  basilisk,  and  less  of  the 
cliamelet  n's,  to  turn  you  to  my  likeness  ;  and  though 
I  should  be  so  dangerous  and  curst  as  men  say,  you 
are  sufiiciently  armed  with  constancy  and  witji  jus- 
tice, which  I  require  of  God,  who  give  you  grace  to 
use  it  well,  with  long  and  happy  life." 

n 


258  MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


Under  a  military  escort,  Mary  Stuart  vrsLS  removed 
to  tlie  Castle  of  Bolton,  in  Yorkshire,  a  fortress  in  the 
possession  of  Lord  Scrope.  Promising  an  impartial 
investigation  of  her  affairs,  Elizabeth  reqnired  her  to 
renounce  entirely  the  claim  to  the  succession  in  Eng- 
land during  the  life  of  herself  or  issue ;  and  also  to 
break  the  league  with  France,  and  adopt  in  religious 
worship  the  forms  of  common  prayer.  Mary  at 
length  yielded  so  far  to  the  pressure  of  events,  that 
she  consented  to  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to 
arbitrate  and  settle  lionorably  the  pending  and  mo- 
mentous questions  of  royalty.  The  Queen  of  Eng- 
land expressed  her  bias  and  prospective  action,  in  a 
communication  addressed  to  Murray  the  20th  of  Sep- 
tember : 

"  Whereas  we  hear  say,  that  certain  reports  are 
made  in  sundry  parts  of  Scotland,  that  wdaatsoever 
should  fall  out  now  upon  the  hearing  of  the  Queen  of 
Scots'  cause,  in  any  proof  to  convince  or  acquit  the 
said  Queen  concerning  the  horrible  murder  of  her 
late  husband  our  cousin,  w^e  have  determined  to  re- 
store her  to  her  kingdom  and  government,  we  do  so 
much  mislike  hereof,  as  we  cannot  endure  the  same 
to  receive  any  credit ;  and  therefore  we  have  thought 
good  to  assure  you,  that  the  same  is  untruly  devised 
by  tlie  authors  to  our  dishonor.  For  as  we  have  been 
always  certified  from  our  said  sister,  both  by  her  let- 
ters and  messages,  that  she  is  by  no  means  guilty  or 
participant  of  that  murder,  (which  we  wish  to  be  true,) 
^0  surely  if  she  should  be  found  justly  to  be  guilty 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


259 


thereof,  as  hath  been  reported  of  her,  (whereof  we 
would  be  very  sorrj,)  then,  indeed,  it  should  behoove 
us  to  consider  otherwise  of  her  cause  than  to  satisfy 
her  desire  in  restitution  of  her  to  the  government  of 
that  kingdom.  And  so  we  would  have  you  and  all 
others  think,  that  should  be  disposed  to  conceive  hon- 
orably of  us  and  our  actions." 

War  ceased  in  Scotland,  and  the  regent  made  pre- 
parations to  confront  his  sister  and  former  sovereign. 
Mary  chose  for  the  occasion,  to  represent  her  cause, 
Lesley,  the  Bishop  of  Iloss,  Lords  Ilerries,  Boyd  and 
Livingston,  Sir  John  Gordon,  of  Lochinvar,  and  Sir 
James  Cockburn,  of  Stirling.  Murray  appeared  with 
Earl  of  Morton,  the  Protestant  Bishop  of  Orkney, 
Lord  Lindsay,  and  Robert  Pitcairn,  wdth  Buchanan 
and  others  as  assistants.  Elizabeth  selected  Duke  of 
^Norfolk,  the  Earl  of  Sussex  and  Sir  Ralph  Sadler. 

Lethington,  who  was  involved  in  the  King's  mur- 
der, and  who  had  always  retained  an  attachment  to 
Mary,  endeavored  to  avert  the  public  inquiry,  to 
which  she  had  given  her  assent.  He  felt  that  dishon- 
or to  her  would  be  a  result,  and  forwarded  the  letters 
in  the  silver  casket  to  the  captive,  desiring  to  know 
how  he  might  serve  her  in  the  approaching  emergen- 
cy. She  requested  Lethington  to  soften  the  severity 
of  Murray's  accusations,  and  secure  the  influence  of 
the  illustrious  Duke  of  Norfolk.  The  noble  Howard 
wielded  a  controlling  influence  in  the  privy  council, 
and  over  the  kingdom.  The  third  time  a  widower, 
he  secretly  aspired  to  the  hand  of  Mary  Stuart. 


260 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ITorfolk  immediately  united  liis  power  to  Letliing- 
ton's  eiForts  to  stay  proceedings.  In  an  interview 
with  tliat  disloyal  and  pliant  secretary,  lie  began  his 
mediation  with  a  plan  of  reconciliation  between  the 
regent  and.  his  exiled  sister.  He  thus  reprovingly 
addressed  Lethington  : 

"Is  England  judge  over  the  princes  of  Scotland? 
How  could  w^e  find  it  in  our  hearts  to  dishonor  the 
mother  of  our  future  king  ?  or  how  could  we  answer 
afterwards  for  what  we  had  done,  seeing  that,  by 
bringing  his  mother's  honesty  in  question,  we  jeop- 
ardize his  right  to  the  crow^n  of  England.  It  had 
been  rather  the  duty  of  you,  his  subjects,  to  cover  her 
imperfections,  if  she  had  any,  leaving  her  punishment 
unto  God,  w^ho  is  the  only  judge  over  princes." 

Lethington  endorsed  these  opinions,  and  arranged 
a  meeting  of  Murray  with  I^orfolk,  w^hich  occurred  at 
night,  in  the  solitary  gallery  of  the  dw^elling  of  the 
duke.  The  efiect  of  the  duke's  reasoning,  on  the  evils 
which  would  inevitably  attend  a  public  defamation 
of  the  Queen,  w^iile  nothing  but  great  imprudence  on 
the  part  of  her  accusers  could  prevent  her  ultimate 
possession  of  the  crown  of  England,  was  deep  and  in- 
fluential upon  the  discriminating  mind  of  Murray. 
The  regent  affirmed,  however,  that  the  contents  of  the 
casket  could  not  be  suppressed  —  the  Queen  did  not 
deny  their  origin,  and  many  had  already  seen  them. 
Korfolk  persuaded  him  not  to  use  them  as  evidence, 
and  wisely  added  : 

"  You  are  grievously  deceived,  if  you  imagine  the 
Queen  of  England  will  ever  pronounce  sentence  in 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


261 


tliis  cause.  Do  you  not  see  that  no  answers  have 
been  returned  to  the  questions  which,  uj)on  this  point, 
were  addressed  by  you  to  us,  and  forwarded  to  the 
Queen  ?  l^ay,  you  can  easily  put  the  matter  to  a 
more  certain  proof.  Request  an  assurance,  under  the 
Queen's  hand,  that  when  you  accuse  your  sovereign 
and  bring  forward  your  proofs,  she  will  pronounce 
sentence.  If  you  get  it,  act  as  you  please  —  if  it  is 
not  given,  rest  assured  that  my  information  is  true, 
and  take  occasion  thereupon  to  stay  from  further  pro- 
ceedings." Murray  decided  to  do  no  more  than  vin- 
dicate himself,  without  attacking  Mary. 

During  these  private  negotiations  and  plots — the 
unfolding  series  of  events  in  the  life  of  a  beautiful 
princess,  whose  far-reaching  interest  swept  over 
many  brave  and  cowardly  hearts,  both  in  the  splendor 
and  under  the  shadow  of  thrones — the  prisoner  wrote 
a  letter  to  Elizabeth,  embracing  a  summary  of  her 
hopes,  desires  and  fears  : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  QUEEN  OF  SPAIN. 

"  Madam,  my  good  sister  —  I  cannot  describe  to  you 
tho  pleasure  which  I  have  derived,  at  so  unfortunate 
a  time  for  me,  from  your  friendly  and  consoling  let- 
ters, which  seem  as  if  sent  by  God  to  solace  me  amid 
80  many  troubles  and  adversities  with  which  I  am 
surrounded.  I  clearly  perceive  how  much  I  am 
bound  to  praise  God  for  our  having  been  brought  up, 
fortunately  for  me,  together  in  our  youth,*  which  is 

•Elizabeth,  third  wife  of  Philip  IL,  of  Spain,  was  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  French  King,  Henry  II.,  at  whose  court  the  Queen 
of  Scots  was  brought  up. 


262 


MARY    QTEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


the  cause  of  our  indissoluble  friendship,  proofs  of 
which  you  give  on  your  part.  Alas!  what  return 
can  I  make,  unless  by  loving  and  honoring  you,  and, 
if  I  should  ever  have  the  means  of  serving  you,  as  I 
have  always  wished  to  do,  and  shall  as  long  as  I  live. 

"  Do  not  blame  me,  my  good  sister,  if  I  have  not 
written  to  you  —  for  I  have  been  for  eleven  months 
imprisoned,  and  so  strictly  guarded,  as  not  to  have 
either  the  means  to  write,  or  any  one  to  whom  I  could 
intrust  my  letters.  After  that,  I  was  ten  days  in 
Scotland,  and  in  a  castle  only  five  miles  distant  from 
my  enemies.  Since  then,  I  lost  the  battle.*  I  was 
obliged  to  take  refuge  here,  as  I  informed  you  by 
Montmorin.  By  the  way,  I  kiss  your  hands  for  the 
regret  which  he  told  me  you  had  expressed  for  my 
misfortunes.  But  to  return  to  my  subject.  Don  Guz- 
man can  vouch  for  the  impossibility,  in  my  situation,' 
either  of  sending  a  messenger,  or  even  a  letter,  in 
safety  ;  for  I  am  in  the  hands  of  people,  who  watch 
me  so  narrowly,  that  the  most  trifling  circumstance 
would  furnish  them  with  an  excuse  for  serving  me  a 
worse  turn  than  detaining  me  against  my  will ;  and 
but  for  this,  I  should  long  since  have  been  in  France, 
But  she  [Queen  Elizabeth]  has  positively  refused  to 
allow  me  to  go  thither,  and  insists  on  directing  my 
affairs,  whether  I  will  or  not.  I  cannot  give  you  heie 
all  the  details,  as  they  would  be  too  long ;  but  I  have 
ordered  the  brother  of  my  ambassador  in  France,  to 

*  The  battle  of  Langside,  -which  induced  Mary  to  seek  refuge  ia 
England. 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  2G3 

acquaint  the  ambassador  of  the  king,  your  lord,  in 
London,  with  every  particular,  that  he  may  write  to 
you  in  cipher,  otherwise  it  w^ould  be  dangerous. 

"I  will  tell  you  one  thing,  by  the  way  ;  that  if  the 
kings,  your  lord  and  your  brother,  were  at  peace,  my 
misfortune  might  be  of  service  to  Christendom.  For 
my  coming  to  this  country  has  caused  me  to  make 
acquaintance,  by  which  I  have  learned  so  much  of 
the  state  of  things  here,  that  if  I  had  ever  so  little 
hope  of  succeeding  elsewhere,  I  would  make  ours  the 
reigning  religion,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.*  The 
whole  of  this  part  is  entirely  devoted  to  the  Catholic 
faith,  and  witli  the  right  that  I  have,  for  this  reason, 
in  my  favor,  I  could  easily  teach  this  Queen  what  it 
is  to  intermeddle  and  assist  subjects  against  princes. 
She  is  extremely  jealous,  lest  this,  and  this  only,  should 
restore  me  to  my  country.  But  she  tries,  by  all 
means,  to  make  me  appear  guilty  of  what  I  have  so 
unjustly  been  accused  of,  as  you  will  perceive  from  a 
statement  of  all  the  intrigues  which  have  been  direct- 
ed against  me  ever  since  I  was  born,  by  those  traitors 
to  God  and  to  me.  It  is  .not  yet  finished.  ISTeverthe- 
less,  I  must  tell  you  I  have  been  offered  many  fine 
things  to  change  my  religion  ;  which  I  will  never  do. 
But  if  I  am  compelled  to  yield,  in  some  points,  which 
I  have  stated  to  your  ambassador,  you  may  judge  that 

•  This  letter,  -written  at  the  time  when  Mary  -was  making  such 
Blrong  professions  of  implicit  submission  to  Elizabeth,  clearly  shows 
what  England  might  have  expected,  could  Mary  have  got  rid  of  its 
detested  Protestant  sovereign,  although  her  "good  sister,"  and  mada 
good  her  own  claim  to  her  throne. 


264: 


MART    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


it  will  be  because  I  am  a  prisoner,  l^ow  I  assure 
you,  and  beseech  yon  to  assure  the  king,  that  I  shall 
die  in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  whatever  they 
may  say  to  the  contrary.  I  cannot  exercise  it  here, 
because  they  will  not  permit  me,  and,  merely  for 
having  spoken  of  it,  they  have  threatened  to  shut  me 
up  more  closely,  and  to  treat  me  with  less  consideration. 

"  You  have  adverted  to  a  subject  in  jest,  which  I 
mean  to  take  in  good  earnest ;  it  is  respecting  the 
ladies,  your  daughters.  Madam,  I  have  also  a  son. 
I  hope  that  if  the  king,  and  the  king  your  brother,  to 
whom  I  beg  you  to  write  in  my  behalf,  will  but  send 
an  embassy  to  this  Queen,  declaring  to  her  that  they 
do  me  the  honor  to  rank  me  as  their  sister  and  ally, 
and  that  they  are  resolved  to  take  me  under  their 
protection,  requiring  her  at  the  same  time,  if  she  val- 
ues their  friendship,  to  send  me  back  to  my  kingdom, 
and  to  assist  me  to  punish  my  rebels ;  otherwise,  they 
will  themselves  endeavor  to  do  so,  being  assured  that 
she  will  never  take  part  with  subjects  against  their 
sovereign  ;  she  will  not  dare  to  refuse  them,  for  she  is 
herself  in  some  fear  of  insurrections.  For  she  is  not 
greatly  beloved  by  any  one  of  the  religions,  while, 
God  be  praised,  I  believe  I  have  gained  the  hearts  of 
a  great  many  good  people  of  the  country,  since  my 
coming,  so  that  they  are  ready  to  hazard  all  they  pos- 
sess, for  me  and  my  cause.  If  this  were  done,  and 
some  other  necessary  favors,  which  I  have  mentioned 
to  your  ambassador,  being  in  my  own  country,  and 
in  friendship  with  this  Queen,  whom  her  people  will 
not  permit  to  see  me,  for  fear  I  should  lead  her  into  a 


MARY    Q  U  K  E  N   OF  SCOTS. 


265 


better  track,  (for  tliej  are  of  opinion  that  T  should 
govern  her  if  I  studied  to  please  her,)  I  might  then 
hope  to  bring  up  my  son  in  devotion  to  your  interest ; 
and  if  it  please  God  to  be  merciful  to  me,  and,  with 
your  assistance,  to  gain  for  him  that  which  belongs  to. 
us,  I  am  sure  that,  if  you  grant  him  one  of  your 
daughters,  wdiichsoever  you  please,  he  will  be  but  too 
happy.  They  have  almost  made  an  offer  to  nat- 
uralize him  ;  and  for  the  Queen  to  adopt  him  as  her 
son.  But  I  have  no  wish  to  give  him  up  to  them,  and 
to  resign  my  rights,  the  consequence  of  which  would 
be  to  render  him  of  their  wretched  religion.  If  I 
had  my  choice,  I  should  much  rather  send  him  to  you, 
and  risk  every  danger  to  re-establish  the  ancient  and 
good  faith  throughout  this  whole  island.  I  beg  you 
will  keep  this  secret,  for  it  might  cost  me  my  life  ;  yet 
whatever  you  hear,  be  assured  that  I  shall  never 
change  my  opinion,  however  I  may  be  compelled  to 
accommodate  myself  to  circumstances. 

"  I  will  not  trouble  you  at  present  with  a  longer 
letter,  but  merely  beseech  you  to  write  in  my  behalf. 
Should  I  and  this  Queen  come  to  terms,  I  will  write 
and  inform  you.  But  it  is  necessary  that  your  am- 
bassador should  be  commanded  to  correspond  with 
me  in  cipher,  and  to  send  some  one  to  visit  me  at 
times,  as  my  attendants  dare  not  go  to  them. 

"  I  humbly  recommend  myself  to  your  favor,  pray- 
ing God  to  give  you  health  and  a  long  and  happy 
life.  I  have  much  more  to  write  to  you,  but  I  dare 
not ;  I  am  in  a  fever  about  this.  I  beg  you  to  send 
me  some  one,  in  your  especial  name,  and  one  in  whom 
L 


266 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


I  can  place  confidence,  so  that  1  may  make  known  to 
him  all  my  intentions.  From  Bolton,  this  24th  Sep- 
tember, 1568. 

"  Your  very  humble  and  obedient  sister, 

"Mary." 

Mary  Stuart  contemplated  the  arraignment  of  the 
regent,  but  evidently  did  not  anticipate  for  herself 
the  position  of  a  criminal  before  the  appointed  judges 
of  her  invaded  prerogative.  If  she  had  maintained 
a  proud  refusal  to  answer  to  any  charges  preferred 
by  her  rebellious  subjects,  Elizabeth  would  not  have 
been  able  to  bring  her  to  a  tribunal ;  and  to  continue 
lier  captivity,  w^oiTld  have  been  a  most  difficult  and 
dangerous  undertaking.  The  submission  of  Mary  to 
the  arbitration  of  her  rival,  was  not  the  least  of  the 
errors  of  her  impulsive,  ardent  nature,  whose  con- 
quering loveliness  of  person,  and  ancient  lineage  of 
royalty,  were  made  the  delusive  basis  of  undying 
hope.  A  rainbow  arched  every  storm,  to  her  vision, 
and  she  awaited,  with  the  excitement  of  consuming 
anxiety  and  expectation  of  deliverance,  the  triah 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  CONFERENCE  LETTER  OF  MARY  STUART  TO  THE  KING  OF  SPAIN  THE 

SCOTCH  COMMISSIONERS  WITHDRAW  MURRAY  ACCUSES  MARY  ELIZA- 
BETH PROPOSES  TO  HER  PRISONER  A  REPLY  TO  THE  EVIDENCE  MARY 

REFUSES  THE  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND  WRITES  TO  MARY  MARY  VINDICATES 

HER  COURSE  THE    CONFERENCE    CLOSES  MARY   STUART's    LETTER  TO 

ELIZABETH  THE  CONFLICT  OF  ROYAL  DETERMINATIONS  MARY  IS  RE- 
MOVED   TO    THE    CASTLE    OF   TUTBURY  MURRAY's    MOVEMENTS  THE 

duke  of  norfolk  aspires  to  the  hand  of  mary  his  designs  dis- 
covered by  elizabeth  mary  is  more  closely  confined  the  du'ke 

is  arrested  mary  writes  to  elizabeth  insurrection  murray 

is  triumphant  his  assassination  his  character  letters  of 

mary  negotiations  with  elizabeth  conspiracy  it  is  detected 

—  Norfolk's  death  and  character — mary's  condition. 

The  conference  was  opened  witli  j)omp  and  cere- 
mony, befitting  a  court  representing  Uyo  Queens,  a 
regent,  and  tlie  leading  nobles  of  both  England  and 
Scotland.  Mary  Stuart's  commissioners  boldly  as- 
serted lier  reo^al  rio^hts  and  honor  —  made  a  full  and 
lucid  statement  of  the  successive  shocks  of  revolution 
which  had  shaken  the  land  of  Bruce  to  its  centre, 
and  hurled  their  indignant  condemnation  upon  the 
rebellious  partizans  of  Murray.  The  regent  offered 
his  vindication  with  equal  boldness.  He  described 
the  impolitic  measures  and  marriages  of  the  Queen— 
the  voluntary  resignation  of  her  crown — and  her  con- 


268 


MAKY    QUEEN    C/F  SCOTS. 


sent  to  his  acceptance  of  the  regency  from  the  enthu- 
siastic people.  He  passed  over  the  charge  of  murder, 
which  was  to  the  masses  the  unpardonable  sin  of  her 
reign,  and  which  kindled  the  anger  of  Elizabeth  more 
than  any  other  error,  excepting  the  claim  to  succession. 
The  commissioners  replied  that  the  marriage  with 
Bothwell  was  an  unwilling  submission  to  the  wishes 
of  the  nobles.  To  this,  Murray  made  no  answer. 
Elizabeth  was  without  excuse  for  delaying  a  personal 
interview  with  Mary.  Murray  improved  the  mo- 
ment, to  test  the  success  of  a  more  fearful  line  of 
procedure.  He  inquired  of  the  English  commission- 
ers whether,  if  he  proved  the  captive's  guilt,  she 
would  be  condemned,  and  he  continued  in  his  official 
station.  He  also  sent  a  private  messenger  to  Bolton, 
to  ascertain  if  Mary  would  avoid  the  threatened  dis- 
grace by  confirming  her  abdication,  and  remaining 
in  England  with  a  royal  income.  He  then  exhibit- 
ed to  the  lords,  representing  Elizabeth,  the  letters 
of  the  silver  casket.  Lesley  advised  Mary  to  yield 
to  the  regent's  propositions,  to  which  she  consented, 
October  13th. 

While  matters  were  on  the  eve  of  an  adjustment, 
which  would  secure  Murray's  authority  and  the  fal- 
len Queen's  honor,  Elizabeth,  who  was  apprized  of 
the  secret  parley,  interposed,  and  removed  the  court 
to  Westminster,  under  her  argus-eyed  inspection. 

The  conference  opened  N'ovember  25th.  "After 
Mary's  commissioners  had  read  a  protest  in  conformi- 
ty to  the  recent  instructions  they  had  received  from 
their  sovereign,  the  lord  chancellor,  who  acted  as 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


2G0 


president  of  tlie  conference,  informed  Mnrray  that  tlie 
defence  lie  had  made  at  York  was  considered  incon- 
clusive :  and,  with  a  view  to  encourage  the  l  egent  to 
speak  more  openly,  he  added:  '  Iler  majesty  prin- 
cipally wisheth  that,  upon  the  hearing  of  this  great 
cause,  the  honor  and  estate  of  the  Queen  of  Scots  may 
he  preserved,  and  found  sincerely  sound,  whole,  and 
firm  ;  but  if  she  shall  be  justly  proved  and  found 
guilty  of  the  murder  of  her  husband,  which  were  much 
to  be  lamented,  she  shall  either  be  delivered  into  your 
hands,  upon  good  and  sufficient  sureties  and  assurances 
for  the  safety  of  her  life  and  good  usage  of  her ;  or 
else  she  shall  continue  to  be  kept  in  England,  in  such 
sort  as  neither  the  prince  her  son,  nor  you,  the  Earl 
of  Murray,  shall  be  in  any  danger  by  her  liberty.  And 
for  the  time  to  come,  her  majesty  will  maintain  the 
authority  of  the  said  prince  to  be  king,  and  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  realm  by  you,  the  Earl  of  Murray,  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  Scotland.' 

"  Somewhat  re-assured  by  this  declaration,  Murray 
spoke.  He  said  that  it  had  long  been  repugnant  to 
his  feelings  to  make  public  acts  of  a  nature  calculated 
to  sully  the  honor  of  the  mother  of  his  sovereign  in 
the  eyes  of  strangers  ;  but  that  he  was  now  compelled 
by  necessity  to  defend  himself,  and  that  all  blame 
must  rest  upon  those  who  had  forced  him  to  drag  into 
light  the  proofs  which  he  had  hitherto  concealed. 
However,  as  the  verbal  declarations  which  had  been 
given  in  Elizabeth's  name  did  not  satisfy  him,  as  he 
knew  that  princess  would  readily  disavow  them,  Mur- 
ray required  an  assurance,  under  the  English  Queen's 


270 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


liand,  that  slie  would  pronounce  a  judgment,  before 
lie  gave  in  his  accusation.  To  this  Cecil  replied,  that 
he  had  ample  assurance  already  ;  and  it  ill  became 
him  to  suspect  or  doubt  the  words  of  their  royal  mis- 
tress. '  Where,'  he  added,  '  is  your  accusation  V  *  It 
is  here,'  answered  John  AVood,  the  regent's  secretary, 
plucking  it  from  his  bosom,  '  and  here  it  must  re- 
main till  we  see  the  Queen's  handwrit.'  As  he  spoke, 
the  Bishop  of  Orkney  —  who  was  dissatisfied  with  the 
regent's  vacillating  policy,  and  who  agreed  with  Mor- 
ton, Lindsay,  the  Abbot  of  Dunfermline,  and  Buchan- 
an, in  wishing  to  put  m.atters  to  extremities — stepped 
up  to  Wood,  snatched  the  paper  from  his  hands,  and 
running  to  the  table,  placed  it  before  the  English 
commissioners.  "Wood  remained,  for  an  instant,  mo- 
tionless, from  real  or  feigned  astonishment ;  but  quick- 
ly recovering  himself,  he  sj)rang  after  the  bishop, 
lie  was,  however,  too  late  to  stop  him,  and  was  obli- 
ged to  resume  his  seat,  amid  the  ill-su23pressed  laugli- 
ter  of  many  present.  This  scene  of  violence  and 
buffoonery  formed  the  fitting  introduction  to  the  de- 
fiimation  of  a  Queen  by  her  own  subjects,  before  the 
subjects  of  another  sovereign. 

"  In  his  accusation,  Murray  stated  that  as  Bothwell 
was  the  author  of  Darnley's  murder,  so  the  Queen,  his 
wife,  had  persuaded  him  to  commit  it ;  that  she  was 
not  only  in  the  foreknowledge  of  the  same,  but  a  maiu- 
tainer  of  the  assassins,  as  she  had  shown  by  thwarting 
tlie  course  of  justice,  and  by  marrying  the  chief 
executor  of  that  foul  crime.  To  give  additional  force 
to  this  solemn  denunciation  of  Mary's  culpability,  the 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


271 


father  of  tlie  murdered  king  added  his  demand  for 
vengeance.  The  Earl  of  Lennox  presented  himself 
before  the  English  commissioners,  and  in  the  most 
pathetic  language,  accused  Queen  Mary  of  having 
conspired  the  death  of  his  son,  declared  that  until  that 
moment  he  had  not  expected  to  obtain  justice,  except 
at  the  hand  of  God,  but  that  he  now  laid  his  case  in 
full  confidence  before  their  lordships,  whom  her  ma- 
jesty, the  Queen  of  England,  whose  natural-born  sub- 
ject his  son  was,  had  authorized  to  hear  this  cause. 

"  Mary  Stuart  labored  under  a  most  terrible  accu- 
sation. Her  dej)uties  w^ere  thrown  into  great  conster- 
nation, and  deliberated  for  two  days  upon  the  course 
they  ought  to  pursue.  Before  breaking  up  the  con- 
ference, in  conformity  to  the  latest  instructions  they 
had  received  from  their  sovereign,  they  repelled  the 
imputations  which  had  been  castyUpon  her,  in  contempt 
of  all  divine  laws  and  human  obligations,  and  bitterly 
complained  that  so  unlawful  and  unexpected  a  proceed- 
ing had  been  allowed  in  England.  '  My  lords,'  they 
wrote  to  the  English  commissioners,  'we  are  heartily 
sorry  to  hear  that  our  countrymen  intend  to  color  their 
most  unjust,  ungrateful,  and  shameful  doings  against 
their  natural  sovereign,  liege  lady  and  mistress,  wdio 
hath  been  so  beneficial  to  them.  Her  grace  hath  made 
them,  from  mean  men,  earls  and  lords  ;  and  now,  with- 
out any  evil  deserving  on  her  part,  in  either  deed  or 
word,  to  any  of  them,  she  is  thus  recompensed  w4th 
calumnious  and  false  reports,  and  slandered  to  her  re- 
proach in  this  great  matter,  whereof  they  that  now 
pretend  herewith  to  excuse  their  treason  were  the 


272 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


first  inventors — having  written  with  their  own  hands 
that  devilish  bond,  the  conspiracy  for  the  slanghter  of 
that  innocent  young  gentleman,  Henry  Stuart,  kte 
spouse  of  our  sovereign,  and  presented  her  in  mar- 
riage to  their  wicked  confederate,  James,  Earl  Botl»- 
well,  as  was  made  manifest  before  ten  thousand 
people  in  Edinburgh.' 

"  After  protesting  against  what  '  these  rebels  and 
calumniators  had  done  in  Scotland,'  Mary's  commis- 
sioners affirmed  that  their  usurpation  was  not  assented 
to  by  an  eighth  part  of  the  kingdom,  and  pointed  out 
the  consequences  that  might  ensue  to  other  princes, 
from  granting  impunity  from  this  example  of  success- 
ful revolt  and  disloyal  accusation.  'If  this  in  them 
be  tolerated,'  they  wrote,  '  what  prince  lives  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth  whose  ambitious  subjects  may  not 
invent  some  slander,  to  deprive  them  of  tlieir  supreme 
authority  during  their  lifetime  ?  Your  wisdoms  well 
understand  how  far  their  doings  exceed  the  bounds 
permitted  to  subjects  in  the  holy  and  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, and  violate  the  loyal  duty  which  they  owe  to 
their  native  princes.  They  attributed  the  insurrec- 
tion of  Murray's  l)arty  in  Scotland,  not  to  any  desire 
to  punish  the  murderers  of  the  King,  but  to  their  am- 
bition to  govern  the  kingdom.;  and  in  conclusion, 
they  repeated  that  their  mistress,  whose  ancestors  had 
been  independent  monarchs,  and  who  was  herself  an 
independent  princess,  could  not  be  judged  by  any 
living  authority,  as  the  Queen  of  England  herself  had 
admitted. 

"  Their  next  step  was  to  demand  an  immediate  au- 


MARY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


273 


dience  of  Elizabeth.  When  admitted  to  her  presence, 
they  complained  in  strong  terms  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  proceedings  had  been  conducted.  They 
reminded  her  of  her  promise,  that  in  the  absence  of 
tl)eir  royal  mistress,  nothing  should  be  done  which 
might  affect  her  honor  and  authority ;  complained 
that,  in  violation  of  this  promise,  her  subjects  had 
been  encouraged  to  load  her  with  the  most  attrocious 
imputations  ;  reiterated  their  demand  that  she  should, 
in  common  justice,  be  allowed  to  appear  in  person 
and  plead  her  own  cause  ;  and,  meanw^hile,  besought 
that  her  accusers  might  be  arrested.  This  bold  de- 
mand perplexed  Elizabeth,  but  she  extricated  herself 
from  the  dilemma  with  her  usual  astuteness.  After  de- 
claring that  she  had  never  believed  the  Queen  of  Scots 
guilty  of  the  murder  of  her  husband,  she  went  on  to 
say,  that  as  the  regent  and  his  colleagues  had  brought 
this  accusation  against  her  in  their  own  defence,  it 
would  be  unjust  not  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to 
prove  their  allegations.  She  had,  therefore,  resolved 
to  send  for  them,  and  to  demand  their  proofs  ;  after 
which  she  would  willingly  hear  their  mistress  in  her 
own  justification.  The  partiality  of  this  proceeding, 
which  transformed  those  who  wxre  accused  of  rebel- 
lion into  the  accusers  of  a  murder,  filled  Mary's  com- 
missioners with  indignation.  They  remonstrated 
against  a  further  hearing  being  granted  to  Murray, 
and  ended  by  solemnly  protesting,  that  nothing  that 
might  be  done  hereafter  had  their  consent,  or  should 
in  any  way  prejudice  the  rights  of  their  sovereign. 
"  Their  indignation,  however,  was  only  assumed  as 
L*  18 


274: 


^lAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


a  cloak  for  tlieir  alarm  ;  and  whilst  tliey  were  ino:t 
bitterly  inveighing  against  the  regent,  they  sent  to 
him  to  propose  a  compromise.  In  order  to  prevent 
the  prodnction  of  those  formidable  documents,  which 
Elizabeth's  perfidious  animosity  so  ardently  desired, 
they  suggested  that  she  should  become  reconciled  to 
his  sister,  who  would,  doubtless,  restore  him  to  her 
favor,  and  give  him  and  his  adherents  every  pledge 
that  they  might  require.  But  this  was  only  a  recon- 
ciliation, whilst  Murray  and  the  lords  of  his  i^arty  de- 
manded an  abdication.  Elizabeth,  moreover,  declared 
that  a  queen,  who  labored  under  so  grave  a  charge, 
ought  not  to  compromise  the  matter,  but  to  defend 
lierself."^ 

During  these  proceedings,  Mary  wrote  a  letter  of 
condolence  and  complaint  to  the  king  of  Spain,  which 
is  a  beautiful  expression  of  sympathy  and  suffering. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  KING  PHILIP  II. 

"  Most  liigh  and  most  puissant  prince,  my  veiy 
dear  and  well  beloved  brother,  cousin  and  ally,  in  the 
midst  of  my  adversity,  I  have  received,  at  the  same 
moment,  two  pieces  of  news,  from  which  it  would 
seem  that  Fortune  is  redoubling  her  efforts  to  put  an 
end  to  me  altogether.  One  of  these  is  tliat  of  the 
death  of  the  queen,  your  consort  madam,  my  good  sis- 
ter, Avhose  soul  may  God  receive  !  and  the  other,  that 
some  one  has  represented  to  you  that  I  am  wavering 
in  my  religion,  and  that,  to  my  misfortune,  you  doubt, 
sometimes,  whether  I  have  any  at  all.    These  two  ac 

*  Mignet. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


275 


counts  afflict  me  to  such  a  degree,  that,  though  one 
leaves  some  hope  of  solace  and  remedy,  I  see  none  for 
the  other.  I  know  not  which  of  the  two  grieves  me 
most.  I  have  reason  to  mourn,  as  I  do  with  you,  the 
death  of  so  good  and  virtuous  a  princess,  whose  loss,  I 
am  sure,  will  be  most  painful  to  you.  As  for  myself, 
personally,  it  has  bereft  me  of  the  best  sister  and  friend 
I  had  in  the  w^orld  —  of  her  in  wdiom  I  had  tlie  great- 
est hope  ;  and,  though  this  loss  is  irreparable,  though 
we  ought  to  be  resigned  to  it,  and  to  submit  to  the 
will  of  God,  who  has  been  pleased  to  take  her  to  him- 
self, and  to  remove  her  from  this  life  to  enjoy  another 
much  more  happy,  still,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
mention,  or  even  think  of  her,  but  my  heart  melts  into 
tears  and  sighs,  while  the  love  I  bore  her  is  incessantly 
recalling  her  to  my  memory.  I  have,  also,  particular 
cause  to  be  afflicted,  as  I  am  afraid  of  losing  that 
which  she  had  in  part  gained  for  me  with  you  ;  that 
is  to  say,  so  good  an  opinion,  that  I  would  be  very 
sure  of  linding  in  you  that  protection  and  favor  wdiich 
I  need  in  my  misfortunes,  as  I  am  certain  that,  if  God 
had  but  spared  her  life  until  now,  she  would  have  an- 
swered to  you  for  me,  and  have  assured  you  that  the 
reports  made  to  you  are  absolutely  false,  Avhich  they 
really  are.  It  is  not  long  since  I  wrote  to  her,  and  I 
remember  that,  among  other  things,  I  intimated  my 
firm  resolution  of  living  and  dying  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith,  whatever  ill  usage  I  might  have  to  en- 
dure here  on  that  account,  and  this,  too,  before  I  had 
the  least  suspicion  that  any  one  had  endeavored  to 
calumniate  me  to  you,  though  I  have  had  a  long  ex« 


276 


MARY    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


])erience  of  the  wickedness  of  the  rebels  and  other 
persons  of  this  country,  who  tolerate  them,  because 
they  are  all  of  tlie  same  sect ;  but  I  never  could  have 
thouglit  that  calumny  could  have  so  many  attractions 
for  persons  professing  the  Catliolic  religion,  and  of 
tliat  faith  I  believe  them  to  be  who  prejudiced  you 
against  me. 

"  I  must  now  tell  you  that,  whoever  the  person  may 
be  who  has  been  the  instrument  of  such  disservice,  I 
beseech  you  not  to  believe  him,  as  he  must  be  misin- 
formed ;  and  if  you  will  please  to  honor  me  by  ap- 
pointing individuals  worthy  of  confidence,  to  make 
inquiries  of  those  persons  who  are  about  me,  and  who 
are  the  most  capable  of  answering  and  speaking  on 
any  subject  whatever,  I  am  sure  that  they  will  certify 
the  very  contrary,  for  they  have  never  lieard  me  utter 
a  single  word,  or  do  llie  least  thing  that  could  give 
them  so  unfavorable  an  idea  of  me. 

"  If  I  do  not  exercise  my  religion,  it  must  not  be 
concluded  that  I  waver  between  the  two.  Besides, 
since  my  arrival  in  this  kingdom,  I  begged  to  be,  at 
least,  allowed  to  exercise  it  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  ambassador  of  a  foreign  prince  is  j^ermitted  to 
do :  but  was  told  that  I  was  a  kinswoman  of  the 
Queen's,  and  should  never  obtain  that  indulgence. 
An  English  minister  was  afterward  sent  to  me ;  he 
merely  recites  some  prayers  in  the  vulgar  tongue, 
which  I  had  not  the  power  to  prevent,  because  I  was, 
as  I  still  am,  deprived  of  my  liberty,  and  closely 
guarded.  But  if  it  be  supposed  I  have  done  wrong 
by  being  present  at  those  prayers  which  I  attended, 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


277 


because  I  was  not  allowed  any  other  exercise  of  my 
religion,  I  am  read}^  to  make  any  amends  that  maybe 
considered  necessary,  that  all  the  Catholic  princes  in 
the  world  may  be  convinced  that  I  am  an  obedient, 
submissive,  and  devoted  daughter  of  the  holy  Catholic 
and  Roman  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  I  will  live 
and  die,  without  ever  entertaining  any  other  intention 
than  this  —  an  intention  from  which,  with  the  help  of 
God,  I  will  never  swerve  in  any  way  wnatever. 

"  But,  as  a  single  word  on  this  point  ought  to  suf- 
fice, I  will  not  trouble  you  further  on  the  subject,  ex- 
cept to  entreat  you  to  lend  a  favorable  ear  to  that 
which  I  have  charged  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow, 
my  ambassador  at  the  court  of  France,  to  say  to  your 
resident  at  the  said  court,  that  he  may  communicate 
it  to  you. 

"  These  presents  having  no  other  object,  I  conclude, 
very  humbly  and  affectionately  recommending  my- 
self to  your  favor,  and  praying  the  Creator  to  grant 
you  a  long  and  happy  life. 

"  From  the  Castle  of  Bowton,  in  England,  the  last 
day  of  the  month  of  November,  one  thousand  five 
hundred  and  sixty-eight. 

"  Your  very  good  sister,  Mary." 

Tlie  Scotch  deputies,  perceiving  in  the  determina- 
tion of  Elizabeth  to  make  Mary  answer  to  the  charge 
of  complicity  in  the  Darnley  murder,  and  the  proof 
which  Murray  was  to  off'er  of  her  guilt  in  his  own 
defence,  augmenting  danger  to  their  Queen,  dissolved 
the  conference,  entered  a  solemn  protest  against  the 


278 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


course  of  arbitration,  and  withdrew,  under  the  osten- 
sible desif^n  of  self- vindication.  The  regent,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  order  of  the  English  commissioners, 
furnished  the  contents  of  the  silver  casket,  with  man- 
ifold evidence  of  their  authority.  The  court  affirmed 
the  testimony  to  be  conclusive,  and  proceeded,  in  the 
face  of  renewed  protest  and  dissolution  of  the  confer- 
ence, to  their  illegal  yet  withering  conclusions.  The 
privy  council  of  Elizabeth  approved  the  entire  action, 
and  resolved  "  that,  as  the  crimes  wherewith  the 
Queen  of  Scots  had  been  by  common  fame  burdened, 
are  made  more  apparent  by  many  vehement  allega- 
tions and  presumptions  upon  things  now  produced, 
the  Queen's  majesty  cannot,  without  manifest  blem- 
ish of  her  own  honor,  agree  to  have  the  said  Queen 
come  into  her  presence  until  the  said  horrible  crimes 
may  be,  by  some  just  and  reasonable  answer,  avoided 
and  removed  from  her." 

Elizabeth  made  propositions  for  permitting  Mary 
to  answer  the  fatal  documents,  which  were  promptly 
rejected.  She  also  wrote  to  the  prisoner  in  a  sym- 
pathetic strain,  but  remained  true  to  the  policy  of  an 
imperial  sway,  whose  unquestioned  possession  was 
more  precious  than  a  rival's  bleeding  heart. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH  TO  MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 

"Madame,  while  your  cause  hath  bene  here  treated 
upon,  we  thought  it  not  nedeful  to  write  anything 
thereof  unto  you,  supposing,  alwaies,  that  your  com- 
missioners wolde  thereof  advertise  as  they  sawe  cause. 
And  now,  sithen  they  hawe  broken  this  conference, 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


279 


by  refusing  to  make  answer  as  they  say  by  your 
commandment,  and  for  that  purpose  they  returne  to 
you  ;  altliough  we  thinke  you  shall  by  them  perceive 
tJie  whole  proceedings ;  yet  we  cannot  but  let  youe 
understand  by  these  our  lettres,  that  as  we  have  been 
very  sorry  of  long  time  for  your  mishappes  and  great 
troubles,  so  find  we  our  sorrowes  now  dubled  in  be- 
holding such  thinges  as  are  produced,  to  prove  your- 
self cause  of  all  the  same.  And  our  grief  herein  is 
also  increased,  in  that  we  did  not  think  at  any  time 
to  have  seen  or  hard  such  matters  of  so  grate  ap- 
parunce  and  moment  to  chardge  and  condemne  youe. 
Isevertheless,  both  in  frindship,  nature  and  justice, 
we  are  m.oved  to  couer  these  matters,  and  stay  our 
judgment,  and  not  to  gather  any  sence  thereof  to 
your  preiudice,  before  we  may  hear  of  your  direct 
answer  thereunto,  according  as  your  commissioners 
understand  our  meaning  to  be,  which,  at  their  request, 
is  delivered  to  them  in  writing.  And  as  we  trust  they 
will  aduise  youe  for  your  honor  to  agree  to  make 
answer,  as  we  have  mentioned  them,  so  surely  we  can- 
not but  as  one  prince  and  nere  cousin  regarding  an- 
other, moost  earnestlye  as  w^e  may  in  terms  of  friend- 
ship, require  and  chardge  you  not  to  forbeare  from 
answering.  And  for  our  parte  as  we  are  heartely 
sorry,  and  dismaide  to  find  such  mater  of  your 
chardge  ;  and  altliough  we  doubt  not  but  you  are 
well  certified  of  the  diligence  and  care  of  your  min- 
isters having  your  commission,  yet  can  we  not,  be- 
sides an  allowance  generally  of  them,  especially  note 
to  you  your  good  choice  of  this  bearer,  the  Bishoppe 


280  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

of  Eoss,  wlio  hath  not  only  faithfully  and  wisely, 
but  also  so  carefully  and  dutifully,  for  your  honor 
and  weale,  behaved  himself,  and  that  both  privately 
and  publickly,  as  we  cannot  but  in  this  sorte  com- 
niende  him  unto  youe,  as  we  wish  you  had  many 
such  devoted  discrete  seruuants.  For  in  our  judge- 
ment, we  thinke  we  have  not  any  that  in  loyalty  and 
faithfulnes  can  overmatche  him.  And  this  we  are 
the  bolder  to  write,  considering  we  take  it  the  best 
triall  of  a  good  seruante  to  be  in  aduersitie,  out  of 
which  we  wish  you  to  be  deliuered  by  the  iustifica- 
tion  of  your  innocency. 

"And  so  trusting  to  hear  shortly  from  you,  we 
make  an  ende.  Geven  at  Hampton  Court,  under 
our  Signet  the  xxth  of  December,  1568,  in  the  Leau- 
entlie  year  of  Keigne. 

"  Your  good  sistar  and  cousin, 

"  Elizabeth." 

Mary  refused  to  appear  as  a  criminal,  and  displayed 
her  great  qualities  of  character.  Amid  all  her  ca- 
lamities—  changing  policy  —  disappointments  and 
tears,  she  had  never  despaired.  Ambitious  and  bold 
in  prosecuting  her  plans,  she  assumed  the  bearing 
and  dignity  of  a  Queen  in  the  hour  of  greatest  peril. 
She  spurned  the  thought  of  self-defence,  and  turned 
with  unsparing  attack  upon  Murray.  She  used  the 
following  language  in.a  message  to  her  commissioners : 

"  Forasmuch  as  the  Earl  of  Murray  and  his  adhe- 
rents, our  rebellious  subjects,  have  added  unto  their 
pretended  excuses,  produced  by  them  for  coloring 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


281 


of  tlieir  horrible  crimes  and  offences,  committed 
against  us,  tlieir  sovereign  lady  and  mistress,  the 
charge  that  '  as  the  Earl  of  Bothwell  was  the  princi- 
pal executor  of  the  murder  committed  on  the  person 
of  Ilarrj  Stuart,  our  late  husband,  so  we  knew,  coun- 
seled, devised,  persuaded,  and  commanded  the  said 
murder,' — they  have  falsely,  traitorously,  and  wickedly 
lied ;  malicicaisly  imputing  unto  us  a  crime  of  which 
themselves  were  autliors  and  inventors,  and  some  of 
them  even  executors."  Repelling  the  charge  of  having 
impeded  the  proceedings  of  justice  against  Darnley's 
murderers,  and  of  having  given  her  consent  before 
hand  to  her  marriage  with  Bothwell,  she  alluded,  with 
consummate  ability  and  eloquence,  to  the  danger  to 
which  the  lords  declared  that  she  had  exposed  her 
son:  "That  calumny,"  she  pathetically  observed, 
"  should  suffice  for  proof  of  all  the  rest.  The  natural 
love  of  a  mother  towards  her  bairn,  confounds  them ; 
but  in  the  malice  and  impiety  of  their  hearts,  they 
judge  others  by  their  own  affection." 

Accordingly,  the  Scotch  commissioners  presented 
their  accusations  of  reo^icide  ao:ainst  the  reo:ent  and 
his  friends,  sustained  and  vehemently  urged  by  the 
Bishop  of  Boss.  Upon  hearing  of  the  new  order  of 
royal  battle  for  sovereignty,  the  impetuous  Lindsay 
sent  a  challenge  to  Lord  Herries.  January  11th 
Murray  confronted  Mary's  representatives,  and  de- 
manded proof  of  their  charges.  Their  prosecution  of 
him  and  defence  of  their  Queen,  were  indefinite,  and 
too  general  for  any  important  issue.  An  abdication 
was  again  proposed  by  Elizabeth,  as  the  only  final 


282 


MARY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


settlement  of  the  distressing  difference.  But  Mary's 
imprudence  and  guilt  Lad  gone  abroad  in  published 
documents,  and  she  would  not  voluntarily  resign  her 
crown,  and  in  the  act  confess  her  criminality.  She 
affirmed  to  the  commissioners, —  "the  last  words  that 
I  shall  litter  in  my  life,  shall  be  the  words  of  a  Queen 
of  Scotland." 

The  conference  was  closed,  and  the  condition  of 
Mary's  aifairs  was  worse  than  when  it  began.  Mur- 
ray returned  to  guard  his  tlirone,  with  the  consent 
and  approval  of  Elizabeth  and  her  court.  Mary 
wrote  complainingly  to  tlie  Queen  of  England : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam  my  good  sister  —  I  know  not  what  occasion 
I  can  have  given  to  any  of  this  company,  or  at  least  of 
your  kingdom,  that  they  should  endeavor  to  persuade 
3^011  (as  it  appears  to  me  by  your  letter,)  of  a  thing 
so  distant  from  my  thoughts,  whereof  my  conduct 
has  borne  witness.  Madam,  I  came  to  you  in  my 
trouble  for  succor  and  support,  on  the  fiiith  of  the 
assurance  that  I  might  reckon  upon  you  for  every 
assistance  in  my  necessity  ;  and,  for  this  reason,  I 
refrained  from  applying  for  any  other  aid  to  friends, 
relatives,  and  ancient  allies  ;  relying  solely  upon  your 
promised  favor.  I  have  never  attempted,  either  by 
word  or  deed,  aught  to  the  contrary,  and  nobody  can 
lay  to  my  charge  anything  against  you.  Still,  to 
my  unspeakable  regret,  I  see  my  actions  falsely  rep- 
resented and  construed ;  but  I  hope  that  God  and 
time,  tlie  father  of  truth,  will  declare  otherwise,  and 


MAKT     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


283 


prove  to  you  tlie  sincerity  of  my  intentions  towards 
you. 

"  In  the  meantime,  I  am  treated  so  rigorously,  that 
I  cannot  comprehend  whence  proceeds  the  extreme 
indignation  which  this  demonstrates  that  you  have 
conceived  against  me,  in  return  for  the  confidence 
which  I  have  phiced  in  you,  in  preference  to  all  other 
princes,  and  the  desire  I  have  sho^vn  to  obtain  your 
favor.  I  cannot  but  deplore  my  evil  fortune,  seeing 
you  have  been  pleased  not  only  to  refuse  me  your 
presence,  causing  me  to  be  declared  unworthy  of  it 
by  your  nobles ;  but  also  suffered  me  to  be  torn  in 
pieces  by  my  rebels,  without  even  making  them  answer 
to  that  which  I  have  alleged  against  them ;  not  allow- 
ing me  to  have  copies  of  their  false  accusations,  or 
aflbrding  me  any  liberty  to  accuse  them.  You  have 
also  permitted  them  to  retire,  with  a  decree,  in  a  manner 
absolving  and  strengthening  them  in  this  usurped  so- 
called  regency,  and  liave  thrown  the  blame  upon  me, 
and  covertly  condemned  me  without  giving  me  a 
hearing,  detained  ni}^  ministers,  caused  me  to  be  re- 
moved by  force,  without  informing  me  what  has  been 
resolved  upon  respecting  my  affairs ;  why  I  am  to  be 
transferred  to  another  abode ;  how  long  I  am  to  re- 
main there ;  how  I  shall  be  treated  there ;  or  for  what 
reason  I  am  confined,  and  all  support  and  my  requests 
refused. 

"All  these  things,  along  with  petty  annoyances, 
such  as  not  permitting  me  to  receive  news  from  my 
relatives  in  France,  nor  from  my  servants  on  my  pri- 
vate necessities,  having  in  like  manner  anew  inter- 


284:  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS, 


I 


dieted  all  eommiinieation  with  Seotland,  nay,  refused 
me  leave  to  give  any  commission  to  one  of  my  ser- 
vants, or  to  send  my  lettei*s'by  tliem,  grieve  me  so 
sorely,  and  make  me,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  so  timid 
and  irresolute,  that  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  act,  nor  can 
I  resolve  upon  obeying  so  sudden  an  order  to  depart, 
without  first  receiving  some  news  from  my  commis- 
sioners:  not  that  this  place  is  a  whit  more "  agreeable 
than  any  other  which  you  may  be  pleased  to  assign  ; 
when  you  have  made  me  acquainted  with  your  good 
will  toward  me,  and  on  what  conditions. 

"Wherefore,  madam,  I  entreat  you  not  to  think 
that  I  mean  any  offence,  but  a  natural  care  which  I 
owe  to  myself  and  my  people,  to  wish  to  know  the 
end  before  disposing  of  myself  so  lightly,  I  mean  vol- 
untary ;  for  I  am  in  your  power,  and  you  can,  in  spite 
of  me,  command  even  the  lowest  of  your  subjects  to 
sacrifice  me  without  my  being  able  to  do  anything 
but  appeal  to  God  and  you,  for  other  support  I  have 
none ;  and,  thank  God,  I  am  so  silly  as  to  suppose  that 
any  of  your  subjects  concern  themselves  about  the 
affairs  of  a  poor,  forlorn,  foreign  prince,  who,  next  to 
God,  seeks  your  aid  alone,  and,  if  my  adversaries  tell 
you  anything  to  the  contrary,  they  are  false,  and  de- 
ceive you  ;  for  I  honor  you  as  my  eldest  sister ;  and 
notwithstanding  all  the  grievances  above  mentioned, 
I  shall  be  ever  ready  to  solicit,  as  of  my  eldest  sister, 
your  friendship  before  that  of  any  other.  Would  to 
God  you  would  grant  it  me,  and  treat  me  as  I  should 
wish  to  deserve  in  your  place !  When  this  shall  come 
to  pass,  I  shall  be  happy ;  if  not,  God  grant  me  pa- 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


285 


tience,  and  fou  liis  grace  !    And  here  I  will  humbly 
recommend  myself  to  yours,  praying  God  to  grant 
you,  madam,  health,  and  a  long  and  happy  life. 
"From  Bolton,  this  xxii.  of  January,  (1568-9.) 
"  Your  very  affectionate  good  sister  and  cousin, 

"  Mary  R' 

Mary  again  requested  a  copy  of  the  letters  in  evi- 
dence against  her,  but  Elizabeth  denied  her,  unless 
she  would  vindicate  her  impeached  honor.  This  the 
resolute  captive  would  do  only  in  the  presence  of  the 
English  Queen  and  foreign  ambassadors.  The  hope- 
less contest  continued  for  w^eeks.  Permission  was 
desired  in  behalf  of  Mary  Stuart,  to  leave  England,  as 
the  regent,  her  brother,  had  done.  Instead  of  compli- 
ance, Elizabeth  removed  her,  under  the  care  of  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  farther  into  the  interior  of  the 
kingdom. 

"It  w^as  January  26th,  1569,  that  Mary  arrived  at 
the  Castle  of  Tutbury,  with  impressions  of  terror  and 
disgust,  which  were  somewhat  softened  by  the  pres- 
ence of  her  faithful  friends.  Lord  and  Lady  Living- 
ston, Mary  Seaton,  and  a  junior  Livingston  ;  nor,  to 
a  heart  susceptible  as  hers  of  personal  attachment, 
could  it  be  a  matter  of  indifference,  that  in  her  re- 
duced train  of  domestics,  she  saw  many  faces  long 
familiar  to  remembrance,*  —  the  experienced  Raulet, 
her  French  secretary,  and  the  gallant  William  Doug- 
lass, her  juvenile  protector.    In  the  family  of  her  new 

*  Those  attendants  were  thirty  in  number.  See  Lodge's  "lllus 
trations  of  British  Ilistor},"  vol.  ii. 


286 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


guardians  might  be  discovered  the  epitome  of  a  court, 
with  all  its  concomitant  suspicions  and  intrigues,  venal 
spies,  and  domestic  discords.  Naturally  liberal  and 
courteous,  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  was  united  to  a 
woman  whose  imperious  and  crafty  temper  constantly 
embittered  his  existence. 

"  In  contemplating  her  desperate  fortunes,  she  had 
no  alternative  but  to  suppress  her  discontent,  to  prac- 
tice patience,  and  assume  the  language  of  resignation. 
Instead,  therefore,  of  proclaiming  her  resentment  for 
the  violence  whicli  had  been  offered  to  her  inclina- 
tions, she  not  only  affected  to  reconcile  herself  to  a 
residence  in  Tutbury  Castle,  but  by  every  possible 
concession  labored  to  efface  those  religious  or  politi- 
cal impressions  which  might  operate  against  her  per- 
sonal interests  ;  and  she  not  only  persisted  in  attend- 
ing public  worship  according  to  the  Anglican  church, 
but  condescended  to  solicit  an  introduction  to  every 
person  who  visited  Lord  Shrewsbury's  family." 

A  writer  has  recorded  an  interview  enjoyed  with 
Mary  at  this  time.  "  Her  grace  fell  in  talk  with  me 
on  sundry  n:atters,  from  six  to  seven  of  the  clock,  be- 
ginning first  ':o  excuse  her  ill  English,  declaring  her- 
self more  willing  than  apt  to  learn  that  language,  and 
how  she  used  translations  as  a  means  to  attain  it,  and 
that  Mr.  Yice-chamberlain  (Knolles)  was  a  good 
schoolmaster.'  '  I  asked  her  how  she  liked  her  change 
of  air.'  She  said,  '  If  it  might  have  pleased  her  good 
sister,  she  would  not  have  removed  at  this  time  ;  brt 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


287 


added  (doubtless  to  qualify  the  objection)^  she  was 
better  content,  because  she  was  come  so  much  nearer 
to  the  Queen's  majesty,  whom  she  desired  above  all 
things  to  see.'  In  replv  to  this.  White  had  the 
effrontery  to  remark,  that  '  though  denied  the  actual, 
slie  was  etfectively  admitted  to  the  real  presence  of 
his  sovereign,  whose  affectionate  and  sisterly  care  was 
constantly  manifested  for  her.  preservation.  At  the 
same  time  he  reminded  her  of  the  perils  from  which 
she  had  escaped,  and  with  solemn  mockery  felicitated 
her  singular  good  fortune  in  having  reached  this  hos- 
pitable realm,  and  received  in  it  such  honorable  and 
liberal  treatment.'  The  insolence  of  this  address  was, 
perhaps,  in  some  degree  disguised  by  quaint  and 
common-place  recommendations  of  patience  and  piety, 
with  which  it  was  abundantly  seasoned  ;  and  Mary 
listened  to  the  didactic  courtier  with  apparent  com- 
placency, gently  remarking,  that  '  patience  was  in- 
deed most  necessary  to  her  present  state,  and  that  she 
prayed  God  to  bestow  it  on  her.'  Dismissing  sub- 
jects of  personal  interest,  the  visitor  demanded  how 
the  Queen  passed  her  time  when  debarred  by  bad 
weather  from  using  exercise.  She  replied,  that  '  she 
spent  her  time  in  needlework,  and  that  the  variety  of 
the  colors  beguiled  the  occupation  which  she  contin- 
ued in,  till  admonished  by  the  pain  in  her  side,  that 
she  ought  to  desist.'  She  then  entered  into  a  compar- 
ison of  painting  with  sculpture  ;  but  soon  withdrew 
to  her  apartment,  probably  to  vent  the  bitterness  of 
her  soul  in  murmurs  against  her  pretended  benefac- 
tors.   Abstracted  from  the  positive  miseries  of  her 


288  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

present  situation,  Mary  created  to  herself  a  new 
source  of  torment,  by  yilding  to  suspicions  the  most 
chimerical  and  absurd.  That  in  Sir  William  Cecil 
she  had  an  enemy  she  could  not  doubt ;  but  instead 
of  attributing  his  hostility  to  the  true  cause,  namely, 
his  intimate  association  with  the  Eegent  Murray,  and 
his  ardent  attachment  to  the  religion  which  that 
statesman  professed,  she  suffered  herself  to  be  persua- 
ded that  the  sagacious  minister  of  Elizabeth  labored 
to  effectuate  her  exclusion  from  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land,  purposely  that  he  might  raise  to  it  another  pre- 
tender, the  Earl  of  Huntingdon.*  But,  however 
credulous  Mary  might  be,  her  English  adversaries  ap- 
pear to  have  been  equally  addicted  to  conjectural  fan- 
cies, since  Nicholas  White  professed  to  be  perplexed 
by  the  motto  which  he  saw  embroidered  on  her  cloth 
of  estate  — ■  dans  ma  fin  est  mon  commencement  / 
and,  for  the  sake  of  Elizabeth,  adduced  many  reasons 
why  '  the  Queen  of  Scots  should  be  seen  as  little  as 
possible ;  besides,  that  she  is  a  goodly  personage, 
though  not  comparable  to  our  sovereign ;  she  hath 
withal  an  alluring  grace,  a  pretty  Scotch  speech,  and 
a  searching  wit,  clouded  with  mildness.  Fame  might 
move  some  to  relieve  her,  and  glory  joined  to  gain, 
might  stir  others  to  adventure  much  for  her  sake ; 
then  joy  is  a  lively  impetuous  passion,  and  carrieth 
many  persuasions  to  the  heart,  which  ruleth  all  the 
rest." 

*  The  earl  had  married  a  female  descendant  of  the  Duke  of  Cla- 
rence the  brother  of  Edward  the  Fourth. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


289 


Murray  was  not  at  ease  in  his  triumph.  Tlie  Duke 
of  ^s'orfolk  was  exasperated  because  the  regent  had 
interposed  new  obstacles  in  the  way  of  his  marriage 
to  Marj  Stuart.  Catholic  earls  were  in  a  blaze  of 
religious  enmity.  Assassination  threatened  him,  and 
it  was  only  by  stratagem  that  he  escaped.  He  ap- 
peased the  Duke  of  Norfolk  with  pleas  of  necessity  in 
appearing  as  the  accuser  of  his  sister,  and  promises 
of  kindest  interest  for  her  future  well-being.  Mary 
immediately  summoned  her  energies  and  her  availa- 
ble influence  to  the  work  of  attempting  a  deliverance 
from  captivity.  France  was  in  sympathy  with  her 
design,  Scotland  was  ready  to  furnish  an  armed  force, 
and  the  north  of  England  was  roused,  while  Spain 
was  moving  for  an  invasion  of  Britain.  The  Duke  of 
Chatellerault,  and  Lord  Herries,  with  Huntley  and 
Argyle,  presented  themselves  to  the  insurgent  lords, 
as  Mary's  chieftains.  Murray  retained  with  him  the 
citizens  of  the  towns,  the  Presbyterian  clergy,  and 
the  most  energetic,  effective  members  of  the  nobility. 
With  this  array  of  fighting  men,  and  the  reins  of  au- 
thority in  his  hands,  he  called  a  convention  of  his 
adherents  to  secure  their  formal  approval  of  his  opera- 
tions, at  Stirling  Castle,  and  immediately  marched 
forth  to  suprise  the  enemy.  He  came  upon  the  Duke 
of  Chatellerault  and  Herries,  and  compelled  them  to 
make  a  treaty,  March  18th,  1569.  They  acknowledged 
the  young  King,  on  condition  of  restoring  refugees  ; 
and  agreed  upon  a  conference,  to  be  held  in  April,  for 
the  final  arrangement  of  conflicting  claims.  Tlie  re- 
gent employed  the  truce  wisely.  He  subdued  the 
M  19 


290  MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 

Eordeiers,  and  strengthened  himself  for  a  controlling 
power  in  the  assembly  of  the  nobility.  Tlie  evening 
before  it  commenced  its  sessions,  April  Oth,  the  duke 
and  Herries  received  letters  from  Mary  Stnart,  con- 
demning their  concessions  and  plan  of  pacificatioTi. 
Chatellerault  quailed  beneath  her  reproaches,  and 
slept  till  the  dawn  of  morning.  Lord  Herries  was  so 
overcome,  that  he  was  taken  severely  ill.  They 
therefore  retracted,  and  Murray  put  an  end  to  dis- 
cussion and  explanation,  by  ordering  his  guards  to 
escort  them  to  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  and  place 
them  under  the  care  of  the  kirkaldy  of  Grange.  He 
then  marched  triumphantly  among  the  startled  adhe- 
rents of  Mary,  ravaged  tlieir  country,  and  took  their 
castles,  leaving  a  track  of  conquest  from  Inverness  to 
Dumfries,  from  Dunbar  to  Glasgow.  He  then  order- 
ed the  assembly  of  the  estates  of  the  realm  to  convene 
July  25th,  1569.  He  w^as  met  at  Inverness  upon  his 
return  from  the  North,  by  Lord  Boyd,  w^hom  Mary 
had  dispatched  to  negotiate  with  her  brother  concern- 
ing articles  of  restoration  to  her  kingdom  and  her 
marriage  with  !N"orfolk.  The  duke  was  encouraged 
in  his  ambitious  hopes,  and  a  renewal  of  his  scheme, 
wdiicli  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  conference  interrupt 
ed.  Mary's  partizans  at  home,  and  tlie  friends  of 
peace  in  England,  favored  the  union  of  a  Catholic 
Queen  with  a  Protestant  duke,  whose  consanguinity 
to  Henry  YIL  was  an  element  of  popularity.  Eliza- 
beth was  feeble  in  health,  and  had  made  no  provision 
for  the  succession  to  the  throne  ;  those  circumstances 
increased  the  interest  in  the  projected  marriage,  to 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


291 


which  Marj  Stuart  consented,  contrary  to  an  express- 
ed resohition  not  to  marry  again. 

Murray's  conquests  in  Scotland  had  augmented  his 
own  strength,  and  greatly  darkened  Mary's  pros- 
pects. Elizabeth  sent  to  the  convention  at  Perth,  in 
July,  three  propositions.  The  first  was  to  restore  Ma- 
ry Stuart  to  her  throne  ;  the  second,  if  more  desira- 
ble, suggested  the  associating  of  young  James  with 
her  in  sovereignty  ;  and  the  third,  if  the  former  were 
rejected,  was  that  the  people  of  Scotland  receive  the 
captive  as  a  private  person.  The  Queen  of  England, 
doubtless,  did  not  expect  the  acceptance  of  either, 
amid  the  hostile  parties  and  interests  of  a  distracted 
realm.  Mary  was  sadly  disappointed  in  the  issue  of 
the  discussions  at  Perth,  and  addressed  herself  to  oth- 
er possibilities  of  success,  with  an  unflagging  energy, 
which  has  a  masculine  tone,  in  singular  contrast  with 
her  charming  beauty.  She  corresponded  affection- 
ately with  the  Duke  of  I^orfolk,  who  kept  open  doors, 
and  with  the  tact  of  ancient  Absalom,  "  stole  the 
hearts  of  the  people."  Wrote  the  Ambassador  Fene- 
lon  to  Catherine  de  Medici : 

"  Tlie  affairs  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland  are  obtain- 
ing great  strength  by  means  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
who  proposes  to  marry  her  ....  and  even  if  the 
Queen  of  England  should  not  approve  of  the  scheme, 
they  will  nevertheless  carry  it  out,  so  far  are  matters 
already  advanced  ....  and  if  she  does  not  speedily 
resolve  to  procure  the  liberation  and  restoration  of  the 
Queen  of  Scotland,  they  will  force  her  to  do  so  against 
her  will." 


292 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Tlie  watchful,  observant,  and  determined  Elizabeth 
had  heard  intimations  of  her  rival's  manifold  plans, 
and  replied  to  the  plea  of  Fenelon  in  behalf  of  Mary : 

"  I  am  aware  of  all  the  intrigues  that  have  been 
carried  on  since  she  entered  the  kingdom.  Princes 
have  large  ears,  which  hear  far  and  near.  She  has 
attempted  to  move  the  interior  of  this  realm  against 
me,  by  means  of  some  of  my  subjects,  who  promise 
her  great  things  ;  but  they  are  persons  who  conceive 
mountains,  and  bring  forth  only  molehills.  Tliey 
thought  I  w^as  so  foolish  that  I  should  not  perceive 
their  doings." 

The  Queen  of  England  turned  her  searching  sus- 
picion toward  the  matrimonial  plot,  and  soon  knew 
it  all. 

When  the  perseverance  of  I^orfolk,  in  the  face  of 
stern  remonstrance,  the  treachery  of  privy  counsel- 
ors, and  the  extending  sympathy  of  the  nobility  in 
the  contemplated  alliance,  were  fully  revealed,  the 
intelligent  madness  of  her  rage  spread  paleness  and 
trembling  among  brave  and  powerful  men.  The 
duke  withdrew  into  IsTorfolk,  followed  by  others  of 
the  nobility,  to  mature  a  revolt.  Spain  had  furnished 
money  to  the  fugitive  Queen,  and  her  lover.  Pope 
Pius  Y.  wrote  to  the  Spanish  general  in  I^etherland;?, 
where  he  had  just  crushed  an  insurrection  : 

""We  conjure  thy  nobleness,  and  we  beseech  theo 
with  our  whole  soul  not  to  forget  to  restore  to  liberty 
our  dear  daughter  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Queen  of  Scot- 
land, and  again  to  establish  her,  if  possible,  in  her 
kingdom.    Thy  nobleness  could  not  undertake  any* 


4 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


293 


thing  more  agreeable  and  more  useful  to  Almiglity 
God,  than  the  deliverance  of  this  Queen,  who  has  de- 
served well  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  who  is  oppressed 
by  the  power  of  her  heretical  enemies." 

If  there  had  been  a  united  and  fearless  uprising  of 
all  who  hated  Elizabeth,  in  connection  with  foreign 
Catholic  aid,  even  the  haughty  daughter  of  Henry 
YIII.,  and  Protestantism  also,  might  have  yielded  to 
the  political  storm.  But  no  time  was  lost  in  the  pal- 
ace of  the  mighty  Queen.  Mary  was  ordered  to  be 
taken  from  Wingfield,  one  of  the  estates  of  the  kind 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  and  more  closely  confined  in  the 
stronghold  of  Tutbury.  Thwarted  and  endangered, 
the  prisoner  was  undaunted.  She  wrote  to  Fenelon, 
"  I  beseech  you,  encourage  my  friends  to  be  on  their 
guard,  and  to  act  for  me  now  or  never  ;"  and  added, 
to  Norfolk,  an  earnest  entreaty  to  act  bravely,  and 
not  trouble  himself  about  her  life,  as  God  would  keep 
her  in  safety.  But  Norfolk  was  not  equal  to  the  des- 
perate game.  He  wrote  an  obsequious,  cowardly  let- 
ter to  Elizabeth,  and  in  reply,  she  commanded  his  im- 
mediate return  to  court.  Overcome  with  fear,  arising 
from  his  own  irresolution,  and  his  sovereign's  threats, 
he  went  to  London.  His  reception  was  an  arrest,  and 
imprisonment  in  the  Tower. 

During  the  progress  of  these  stirring,  decisive 
events,  Mary  again  transmitted  a  message  to  Eliza- 
beth, from  a  pen  as  faithful  and  ready  in  correspond- 
ence, as  was  her  restless  brain  in  expedients  for  re- 
trieving her  lost  fortunes. 


294  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam,  my  good  sister,  wishing  to  exercise  to  the 
utmost  the  patience  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  be- 
stow on  me  in  my  adversity,  I  have  refrained,  as  long 
as  possible,  from  importuning  you  with  my  complaints, 
trusting  that  time,  the  father  of  truth,  and  your  own 
good  disposition,  would  lead  you  to  perceive  the  mal- 
ice of  my  enemies,  who  strive  to  trample  me  to  the 
earth,  and  move  you  to  pity  one  of  your  own  blood  — 
your  equal ;  who,  next  to  God,  has  chosen  you  from 
among  all  other  princes  for  her  refuge,  confiding  in 
your  favorable  letters  and  kind  promises,  strengthened 
by  the  ties  of  consanguinity  and  near  neighborhood, 
so  that  I  have  placed  myself,  voluntarily,  and  without 
constraint,  into  your  hands  and  power,  where  I  have 
remained  above  two  years,  sometimes  in  hopes  of 
your  favor  and  support,  from  your  courteous  letters, 
at  others,  driven  to  despair  by  the  underhand  dealings 
and  the  false  reports  of  my  enemies. 

"  ITevertheless,  my  affection  for  you  has  always  led 
me  to  hope  for  the  best,  and  to  suffer  my  wrongs  pa- 
tiently ;  but  now  that  you  listen  to  the  malice  of  my 
rebels,  as  the  Bishop  of  Ross  informs  me,  refusing  to 
hear  the  just  complaint  of  her  who  has  placed  herself 
voluntarily  in  your  power,  and  thrown  herself  into 
your  arms,  I  have  presumed  once  more  to  try  my  for- 
tune, and  appeal  to  the  Queen,  my  good  sister  her- 
self. Ah,  madam,  what  stronger  ]3i'Oof  of  my  friend- 
ship can  I  offer  than  in  thus  putting  my  trust  in  you  ! 
And,  in  return,  will  you  destroy  the  hope  which  is 
placed  in  you  by  your  sister  and  cousin,  who  neither 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


295 


can  nor  sought  to  obtain  succor  elsewhere  ?  Shall 
mj  confidence  in  you  be  disappointed,  my  patience 
prove  vain,  and  the  friendship  and  respect  I  cherish 
for  you,  be  despised  to  such  a  degree  that  I  cannot 
obtain  what  you  could  not  justly  refuse  to  the  greatest 
stranger  in  the  world  ?  I  have  never  offended  you, 
but  have  loved  and  honored  you,  and  tried  by  all 
means  to  please  you,  and  to  assure  you  of  my  kind 
disposition  toward  you.  False  reports  have  been 
made  to  you  about  me,  which  you  have  credited  so 
far  as  to  treat  me,  not  as  a  Queen  and  relative,  come 
to  seek  support  of  you  under  your  promise  of  favor, 
but  as  a  prisoner,  to  whom  you  can  impute  the  offense 
of  a  subject. 

"  Since,  madam,  I  cannot  obtain  permission  to  de- 
clare to  you,  face  to  face,  my  sincerity  towards  you, 
at  least  permit  Monsieur  de  Rosse,  my  ambassador,  to 
give  you  an  account  of  my  public  as  well  as  private 
deportment,  and  he  has  on  many  occasions  witnessed 
the  grief  I  feel  at  not  knowing  wherein  I  have  offend- 
ed you,  and  on  being  compelled  to  repeat  my  old  re- 
quests, respecting  which  I  beg  you  to  answer  him  and 
me  too,  namely,  that  it  may  please  you,  according  to 
my  first  requests,  to  oblige  me  forever,  by  assisting 
me  with  your  support  to  recover  the  state  to  which  it 
has  pleased  God  to  call  me  among  my  subjects,  as 
you  have  always  promised  ;  or  if  consanguinity,  my 
affection  for  you,  and  my  long  patience,  should  not 
seem  to  you  to  deserve  this  ;  at  least  do  not  refuse  mo 
the  liberty  to  depart  as  freely  as  I  came,  and  retire 
either  to  France  or  elsewhere,  among  my  friends  and 


296 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


allies  ;  or  sliouH  it  please  you  to  use  rigor,  and  treat 
me  as  an  enemy  (wliicli  I  have  never  been  to  you,  nor 
desired  to  be,)  allow  me  to  redeem  myself  by  ransom, 
as  is  the  custom  among  all  princes,  even  those  who 
are  enemies,  and  give  me  opportunity  to  negotiate 
with  the  said  princes,  my  friends  and  allies,  for  rais 
ing  the  said  ransom. 

"  And,  meanwhile,  I  entreat  you,  as  I  have  intrusted 
my  person  to  you,  and  offered  in  all  things  to  follow 
your  counsel,  that  I  may  not  be  injured  by  the  extor- 
tions of  my  rebels  against  my  faithful  subjects,  and 
that  I  may  not  be  weakened,  for  having  relied  on 
your  promises,  by  the  loss  of  Donbertran. 

"  And  if  the  false  reports  of  my  enemies  pre- 
vent you  from  bestowing  any  consideration  on  these 
points  and  my  humble  requests,  and  you  are  re- 
solved to  take  amiss  all  I  have  done,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  pleasing  you,  at  least  do  not  permit  my  life 
to  be  endangered  without  having  deserved  it,  al- 
though the  Abbot  of  Donfermelin  has  spread  a  report, 
and  boasted  that  it  is  your  intention,  which  I  cannot 
believe,  to23ut  me  into  the  hands  of  my  rebel  subjects, 
or  other  such  in  that  country,  whom  they  equally  ap- 
prove of,  and  with  whom  I  am  not  acquainted.  I 
protest  that  I  have  never  had  the  wish  to  offend  you, 
or  to  do  anything  which  could  displease  you ;  nor 
have  I  merited  the  cruel  return  of  being  so  slighted, 
as  the  Bishop  of  Rosse  has  already  assured  you,  and 
v/ill  do  again,  if  you  but  please  to  grant  him  an  au- 
dience. Wherefore,  I  beseech  you  most  humbly,  and 
as  above,  to  acquaint  him  with  your  determination ; 


MARY    QUEEN    OP  SCOTS. 


L97 


if  not  out  of  affection,  let  it  be  out  of  pity.  Y>  ci  have 
experienced  what  it  is  to  suffer  affliction ;  you  may 
thence  judge  what  otliers  suffer  from  it. 

"  You  have  listened  long  enough  to  my  enemies  and 
their  inventions  to  make  you  suspicious  of  me ;  it  is 
time  to  consider  what  are  their  motives  for  this,  and 
their  double  dealing  towards  me,  and  what  I  am  to 
you,  and  the  affection  towards  you  which  has  induced 
me  to  come  to  a  place  where  you  have  such  power 
over  me.  Call  to  mind  the  offers  of  friendship  which 
you  have  made  me,  and  the  friendship  which  you 
have  promised  me,  and  how  much  I  wish  to  please 
you,  insomuch  as  to  have  neglected  the  support  of 
other  princes,  by  your  advice  and  on  the  promise  of 
yours.  Forget  not  the  rights  of  hospitality  in  my  case 
alone,  and  weigh  all  this  with  the  respect  of  your  con- 
fidence, honor,  and  pity  for  one  of  your  own  blood, 
and  then  I  trust  I  shall  have  no  occasion  to  repent  me. 

"Consider  also,  madam,  what  place  1  have  filled,  and 
how  I  w^as  brought  np,  and,  if  experiencing,  by  means 
of  my  rebels  or  other  enemies,  so  different  a  treatment 
from  that,  from  hands  from  which  I  hoped  for  every 
comfort,  how  ill  I  can  support  such  a  burden,  added 
to  that  of  your  displeasure,  which  is  hardest  of  all  to 
bear,  which  I  have  never  deserved  ;  nor  to  be  so  closely 
imprisoned,  that  I  have  no  means  of  receiving  intelli 
gence  about  my  affairs,  or  taking  any  steps  whatevei 
for  settling  them,  or  consoling  in  the  least  such  of  mj 
faithful  subjects  as  are  suffering  on  my  account.  Fai 
am  I  from  supporting  them  as  I  hoped.  Again  I  be 
seech  you,  let  not  the  false  reports  and  malicious  de- 

M* 


293 


MART    QL'EEN    OF  SCOTS. 


signs  of  my  enemies  make  you  forget  so  many  other 
points  in  my  favor ;  and,  lastly,  if  nothing  else  can 
move  your  natural  pity,  desj^ise  not  the  prayei*s  of 
the  kings,  my  good  brothers  and  allies,  to  whose  am- 
bassadors I  have  written,  begging  them  to  make  ur- 
gent intercession  with  3^ou  in  my  behalf. 

"  And  that  you  may  not  take  it  amiss,  I  entreat  you 
to  excuse  me,  if,  in  case  you  will  not  listen  to  your 
natural  kindness  and  pity,  for  which  I  have  loved  and 
honored  you  so  much,  I  beg  them  to  inform  the  said 
kings  of  my  necessity,  and  to  solicit  them  to  lend  that 
aid  in  my  affairs  which  I  have  expected  from  you, 
and  which  I  now  crave  from  you  before  any  other. 
If  you  are  pleased  to  grant  it  me,  as  I  hope,  you  will 
find  in  the  end  that  I  have  never  deserved  to  lose  it. 
If  in  this,  or  in  any  point  of  my  letter,  I  offend  you, 
excuse  it,  on  account  of  the  extreme  urgency  of  my 
cause,  and  the  infinite  trouble  that  I  am  in. 

"  I  conclude,  by  referring  to  the  Bishop  of  Eoss, 
who  w^ill  give  you  every  information,  and  beg  you  to 
credit  him  as  myself,  who  present  my  humble  recom- 
mendations, praying  God  to  make  you  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  both  my  intention  and  my  conduct. 

"  From  Tutbury,  this  x.  of  N'ovember,  [1569.] 
"  Your  very  kind  and  affectionate 

sister  and  cousin,  Mary  R. 

"  I  beg  you  to  excuse  me  if  I  write  ill,  for  my  im 
prisonment  makes  me  unwell,  and  less  capable  of  this 
or  or  any  other  employment." 


Tlic  Catholic  adherents  of  Norfolk  had  gone  too  far 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


299 


to  pause  in  rebellion.  After  conferring  with  the  Pope, 
and  appealing  to  interested  nobles,  they  marched 
boldly,  numbering  five  hundred  horsemen,  toward 
Durham.  Upon  a  showy  banner  was  painted  Christ 
with  the  five  bleeding  wounds,  which  w^asheld  p)roud- 
ly  up  by  Old  Eichard  E'orton."  The  gates  of  Dur- 
ham flew  open  at  the  approach  of  the  army ;  the 
Bible  was  burned,  the  prayer-book  destroyed,  the 
commuriion  table  demolished,  and  the  papal  forms  of 
worship  established  on  the  ruins.  The  rebels  issued 
a  proclamation,  and  soon  mustered  more  than  six  thou- 
sand cavalry  and  infantry. 

It  was  a  crisis  to  rouse  the  spirit  and  test  the  capaci- 
ty of  Elizabeth.  She  arrested  Tlirockmorton,  the  Bish- 
op of  Ross,  and  other  distinguished  friends  of  Norfolk. 
She  transferred  Mary  Stuart  to  Coventry,  a  strong  castle 
in  Warwickshire,  beyond  the  possibility  of  sudden 
escape,  and  with  orders  that  she  be  executed  if  the 
rebellion  succeeded.  Men  of  war  were  commissioned 
to  cruise  between  the  English  coast  and  ^Netherlands, 
and  Elizabeth  gathered  w^ith  great  rapidity  her  royal 
soldiery  to  the  imperial  standard.  The  enemy,  after 
vain  attempts  to  enter  large  towns,  besieged  Barnard 
Castle,  and  at  the  end  of  a  twelve  days'  assault,  as- 
sisted by  mutiny  within  its  walls,  took  the  fortress, 
December  12tli.  Eour  days  later,  the  insurgents,  de- 
spairing of  victory,  disbanded,  and  the  chieftains  fled 
for  refuge  to  Scotland.  The  Earl  of  l^orthumberland 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Murray,  and  was  sent  to  take 
Mary's  vacant  place  in  Zochleven  Castle. 

To  confirm  his  shaken  authority,  Murray  now  ap- 


300 


MAEY    QUEEX    OF  SCOTS. 


plied  to  tlie  Queen  for  money  and  the  munitions  of 
war,  and  desired  that  his  sister  be  sent  to  his  safe 
keeping.  While  the  request  was  under  discussion, 
the  regent  traveled  from  Stirling  toward  Edinburgh. 
At  Linlithgow,  through  which  he  was  to  pass,  lived 
James  Hamilton,  of  Bothwell-Haugh,  a  deadly  enemy 
of  Murray.  Confiscation,  which  was  the  spoils  of 
victory,  impoverished  him,  with  many  others.  His 
wife  had  been  turned  from  his  home  by  Bellenden,  a 
devoted  servant  of  the  regent,  to  whom  the  small  es- 
tate had  been  given  as  a  reward,  in  the  darkness  of 
night,  and  left  to  wander  partially  clothed  till  morn- 
ing, amid  a  desolate  forest.  When  the  dawn  illumined 
her  path,  reason's  light  was  quenched.  She  was  a 
despairing  maniac.  Bothwell-Haugh  swore  vengeance 
on  Murray,  as  the  responsible  author  of  the  ravages 
which  secured  the  cruel  deed.  The  regent  approach- 
ed Linlithgow  with  his  imposing  train.  "  The  Arch- 
bishop of  St.  Andrews,  uncle  of  Bothwell-Haugh, 
possessed  a  house,  in  front  of  which  Murray  and  his 
cavalcade  would  necessarily  pass.  This  house  was 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  Bothwell-Haugh,  who  made 
every  preparation  for  the  unfailing  performance  of  the 
act  of  vengeance  which  he  had  concerted  with  the 
Hamiltons.  He  took  his  station  in  a  small  room,  or 
Avooden  gallery,  which  commanded  a  full  view  of  the 
street.  To  prevent  his  heavy  footsteps  being  heard, 
for  he  was  booted  and  spurred,  he  placed  a  feather- 
bed on  the  floor ;  to  secure  against  any  chance  obser- 
vation of  his  shadow,  which,  had  the  sun  broke  out, 
might  have  caught  the  eye,  he  huns^  up  a  black  cloth 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  301 

on  the  opposite  wall ;  and,  having  barricaded  the 
door  in  front,  he  had  a  swift  horse  ready  saddled  in 
the  stable  at  the  back.  Even  here  his  preparations 
did  not  stop ;  for,  observing  that  the  gate  in  the  wall 
which  enclosed  the  garden  was  too  low  to  admit  a 
man  on  horseback,  he  removed  the  lintel  stone,  and, 
returning  to  his  chamber,  cut,  in  the  wooden  panel 
immediately  below  the  lattice  window,  where  he 
watched,  a  hole  just  sufficient  to  admit  the  barrel  of 
his  caliver.  Having  taken  these  precautions,  he 
loaded  the  piece  with  four  bullets,  and  calmly  awaited 
liis  victim."  Murray  was  warned  to  avoid  High 
street,  because  rumors  were  rife  of  fatal  plots.  But 
the  dense  crowd  flocked  the  way,  and  he  rode  calmly 
forward,  amid  the  loud  shouts  of  an  excited  populace. 
"When  he  reached  the  archbishop's  house,  Hamilton 
took  cool  and  fatal  aim  at  the  noble  form  of  Murray. 
There  was  a  startling  report,  and  the  regent  reeled 
from  his  horse,  while  the  silence  of  horror,  broken 
with  muttered  wrath,  fell  upon  the  just  before  exul- 
tant throngs.  Then  they  rushed  like  sounding  surges 
toward  the  house,  from  which  Hamilton  fled  before 
an  entrance  could  be  made,  and  reached  safely  Ham- 
ilton Castle.  He  was  welcomed  by  the  Archbishop 
of  St.  Andrews  and  nobles  present.  The  same  day, 
January  20th,  1570,  Murray  died.  He  expired  pla- 
cidly as  the  setting  sun,  in  Christian  faith  and  hope. 
He  was  a  great  and  heroic  man,  upon  the  surface  of 
whose  splendid  career,  were  acts  of  violence  and 
treachery,  not  excusable,  yet  scarcely  avoidable,  from 
the  intrigues  and  pressure  of  tempestuous  times.  His 


302 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


people  called  him  the  Good  Eegent,  and  his  adminis- 
tration of  justice  entitled  him  to  the  compliment.  A 
sincere  Protestant,  his  couit  wore  ever  the  air  and 
sober  liv^ery  of  the  Puritan  religion.  Ambitions,  and 
not  always  jnst,  his  tragical  death  is  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  uncertainty  and  brevity  of  earthly  honors. 

The  fall  of  this  brilliant  ruler,  w^hose  vi.tues,  con- 
sidering all  the  circumstances  of  histo  y,  altogether 
transcended  his  errors,  reanimated  the  faction  of 
Mary  Stuart.  The  Harailtons  again  took  the  field  ; 
Lethington,  and  other  distinguished  captives  of  Mur- 
ray were  released  ;  the  Pope  issued  a  sentence  of 
excommunication  and  deposition  against  Elizabeth, 
to  revenge  the  Catholics ;  and  a  certain  Leonard 
Daese,  of  Gilsland,  had  raised  the  standard  of  insur 
rection,  with  three  thousand  men.  The  Queen  of 
England  felt  that  danger  threw  ominous  shadows  upon 
her  throne.  The  Earl  of  Surrey  and  Lord  Scrope 
were  sent  to  ravage  Scotland  on  the  east  and  west, 
and  the  Earl  of  Lennox  was  dispatched  to  guide  the 
party  of  his  son,  young  James  YL,in  the  place  of  the 
murdered  Murray.  During  these  bloody  expeditions, 
Mary  wrote  to  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow,  urging 
her  cause : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  ARCHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW. 

"TuTBUEY,  30th  April,  (1570.) 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  I  would  not  for  the  world 
neglect  things  of  importance  to  me,  or  which  concern 
my  duty  to  God  ;>  and  hence  it  is  that,  seeing  an  army 
in  my  country,  and  a  most  injurious  proclamation 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  S03 

issued  against  me,  I  have  risked  this  dispatch  to  the 
king,  monsieur  my  good  brother,  and  to  the  queen, 
and  to  all  my  relatives,  wherein  I  have  recommended 
you  to  them,  and  begged  them  to  afford  you  the  best 
means  for  applying  yourself  to  my  affairs.  I  there- 
fore inform  you  of  this,  that  you  may  act  accordingly  ; 
and,  whatever  may  come  of  it,  I  beg  you  on  no  ac- 
count to  be  absent  from  court  at  a  time  so  important 
as  this,  but  to  urge  warmly  the  promised  support. 

"  The  rest  I  write  to  you  in  cipher,  but  this  I  wished 
to  signify  with  my  own  hand,  to  inform  you  of  the 
need  that  I  and  mine  have  of  prompt  assistance.  In 
short,  make  one  last  effort  for  your  Queen  and  good 
mistress,  your  country  and  kindred,  and  after  me, 
for  your  future  prince.  The  Bishop  of  lioss  has  in- 
formed me  of  a  deanery  which  I  have  given  him  to 
keep  him  in  my  service,  for  he  has  nothing  whatever  in 
Scotland.  I  beg  him  to  get  this  matter  settled  forth- 
with, and  desire  that  George"^  be  dispatched  from 
London  without  difficulty,  for  his  services  merit  it, 
and  the  good  example  he  has  set  is  important  at  this 
moment.  James  and  Baron  are  in  my  employ,  and 
are  not  gone  to  him  but  with  a  promise  to  be  always 
faithful  to  me.  It  is,  therefore,  my  intention  that 
their  w^ages  be  paid  them,  about  which  you  wdll  give 
directions  to  my  treasurer  ;  and  the  same  in  regard  to 
Henri  Kir  in  quality  of  secretary  ;  and  I  shall  be  very 
glad  when  RouUet  returns,  and  send  me,  if  you  can 
obtain  it,  a  passport  for  Thomas  Levingston  to  come 
to  serve  me ;  for  should  Crafurd  go  abroad,  and  I 

*  George  Douglas. 


think  he  will,  I  shall  not  have  any  gentlemen  attei 


dants  left,  and  they  will  not  permit  any  to  come  to 
me  from  Scotland.  So,  referring  to  my  cipher,  and 
what  you  will  hear  from  the  bearer  of  this,  I  will 
conclude,  praying  God  to  have  you  in  his  holy  keeping. 
"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"Maey  E." 

The  captive  Queen  again  addressed  her  representa- 
tive at  the  court  of  France  on  the  13th  of  May,  com- 
mending Douglas,  who,  it  will  be  recollected,  served 
her  while  at  Lochleven  Castle,  and  giving  a  glimpse 
of  her  imprisonment : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  AECHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW. 

"Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  George  Douglas  having 
obtained  permission  to  visit  me,  and  to  make  his  apol- 
ogies, and  to  beg  that  I  would  arrange  his  afiairs  in 
such  manner  as  I  may  judge  proper,  provided  that 
what  I  have  given  be  secured  to  him,  should  I  think 
he  merits  it,  or  at  least,  that  he  may  be  put  to  tho 
proof  if  he  has  ever  offended  me,  explaining  that 
what  he  wrote  to  me  had  no  other  object  than  to  let 
me  know  that,  rather  than  I  should  doubt  his  fidelity, 
or  before  he  would  seek  an  appointment  without  niy 
leave,  lie  would  relinquish  all  that  I  had  given  him, 
or  might  give  him.  I  have  been  very  glad  to  afford 
him  an  opportunity  to  state  his  reasons,  from  the  de- 
sire I  have  that  he  should  give  me  as  much  occasion 
to  be  a  good  mistress  to  him  in  future,  and  from  the 
pleasure  I  shall  feel  in  recompensing  the  great  and 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS-  *  305 

dgnal  service  which  he  has  done  me,  and  which,  he 
lays,  he  wishes  to  continue  to  do  me  as  long  as  he 
'ives,  of  which  I  have  no  doubt ;  and  in  consequence 
)f  this,  I  have  not  only  favorably  received  his  excuses 
md  justifications,  but  relieved  him  from  all  fear  that 
[  shall  ever  listen  to  any  rej^ort  to  his  disadvantage, 
without  first  hearing  him.  I  inform  you  of  this  pur- 
posely, that  you  may  cause  him  to  be  paid  quarterly, 
as  usual,  wherever  he  may  be,  according  to  the  capa- 
city under  which  he  is  entered,  notwithstanding  the 
commands  I  formerly  gave  you  and  othere  to  the 
contrary. 

"  As  respects  myself,  my  health  is  but  very  indif- 
ferent. I  am  strictly  guarded,  and  without  any  means 
Df  arranging  my  afairs,  either  here,  or  in  Scotland, 
or  abroad,  unless  M.  de  la  Mothe,  by  command  of  the 
king,  takes  j)ity  upon  me.  I  have  but  just  thirty  per- 
sons —  men,  women,  servants  and  officers  —  as  you 
will  perceive  by  the  list  and  the  new  orders,  which 
will  show  whether  I  am  a  prisoner  or  not. 

"  KouUet  has  a  continual  fever,  which  is  the  reason 
why  I  cannot  write  to  you  more  at  length,  which 
would  be  troublesome  to  me  just  now.  Several  of 
my  people  are  ill ;  so  is  also  M.  de  Ross,  and  so  he 
hears  nothing  about  my  aflfairs,  and  my  people  are 
badly  treated,  as  M.  de  Ross  will  inform  you.  I  beg 
you  will  represent  all  this  to  the  king,  the  queen,  his 
mother,  and  messieurs,  his  brothers,  requesting  they 
will  send  some  one  to  speak  in  my  behalf. 

"  Awaiting  your  reply  to  this  by  Kir,  I  will  con 

20 


306        *        MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


elude  by  reeommending  myself  to  your  favor,  and 
praying  God  to  grant  you  a  long  and  happy  life. 

"  Send  ine  a  physician,  consulting  Lusgerie,  to 
whom  I  beg  you  to  remember  me  ;  and  as  regards  your 
own  affairs,  tell  me  what  you  think  would  suit  yon, 
and  I  will  write  immediately  to  support  you,  for  I  am 
aware  of  your  necessities. 

"I  had  forgotten  to  tell  you  tliat,  as  to  the  order 
,  for  a  thousand  francs,  which  is  in  your  hands,  you 
must  retain  eight  hundred,  and  give  the  remainder  to 
Kir,  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  debts.  I  have  also 
granted  him  another  thousand,  by  virtue  of  a  letter  I 
have  written  to  my  treasurer,  and  which  will  serve  as 
an  order,  until  such  time  as  you  send  one  for  my  sig- 
nature, also  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  debts  there; 
these  two  tla^ousand  francs  must  be  deducted  from  the 
gift  which  I  made  him.  I  beg  you  will  not  fail  doing 
this ;  and  for  your  security,  this  present,  signed  by 
my  hand,  must  suffice  until  you  send  me  an  order, 
as  I  fear  my  treasurer  will  not  honor  any  but  written  • 
orders. 

"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"Mary  K. 

"If  M.  the  cardinal  is  at  too  great  a  distance,  send 
him  my  letters  by  some  one,  and  forward  to  me  his 
answer,  and  meanwhile,  let  me  know  by  Kir,  what  is 
your  opinion,  and  wliat  will  be  the  best  and  safest 
means  of  securing  his  money,  and  the  most  conveni- 
ent manner  for  me  to  pay  it." 

July  12th,  the  Earl  of  Lennox  was  formally  elected 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  bCOTS. 


307 


regent  of  Scotland,  while  tlie  Duke  Cliatellerault,  and 
the  Earls  Iluntlj  and  Argyle  were  the  leaders  of  the 
opposing  faction,  which  was  nearly  equal  iii  strength 
to  the  royal  administration. 

Elizabeth,  upon  the  restoration  of  the  regency, 
evacuated  the  kingdom,  and  opened  a  discussion  of 
the  treaty  with  Mary  Stuart,  which  was  proposed  the 
year  before  at  Perth. 

After  a  protracted  consideration  at  Chatsworth,  • 
where  she  had  been  confined  since  May,  the  conditions 
were  mainly  accepted,  and  the  prisoner's  heart  was 
wild  with  hope  and  gladness.  Her  weary  form  be- 
came elastic,  and  her  pale  face  luminous  with  antici- 
pated deliverance.    To  Elizabeth  she  wrote  : 

"  iSTo  scruple  now  remains  to  prevent  onr  sincere 
and  reciprocal  friendship,  which  I  desire  beyond  that 
of  any  other  prince,  in  proof  of  which  I  consent  to 
place  in  your  hands  the  dearest  jewel  and  only  com- 
fort which  God  has  given  me  in  this  world,  my  only 
and  beloved  son,  whose  education,  though  desired  by 
many,  is  entrusted  to  you,  to  be  preferred  both  by 
him  and  by  me  to  all  others. 

"  My  intention  is  sincere  to  observe  the  conditions 
agreed  on  between  us,  and  I  am  resolved  hencefor- 
ward, in  order  to  end  my  unfortunate  voyage,  to  cast 
my  anchor  in  the  port  of  your  natural  goodness  towards 
me.  Having  recourse,  instead  of  any  other  surety,  to 
the  merit  of  my  humble  submission  and  obedience, 
which  I  offer  you  as  though  I  had  the  honor  to  be 


308 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


your  daughter  (as  I  have  to  be  your  sister  and  next 
cousin,)  and  yielding  to  none  in  desire  to  obey  and, 
honor  you  in  futu  e,  may  it  please  you  to  accept  me 
as  entirely  yours." 

Mary  alludes  to  the  treaty  in  a  letter  upon  the  death 
of  John  Beton,  a  near  friend,  whom  she  sincerely 
mourned : 

TO  MONSIEUR  DE  GLASGOW,  MY  AMBASSADOR  IN  FRANCE. 

"  FuoM  Chatswortii,  October. 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  Instead  of  relieving  you, 
as  I  hoped,  by  these  letters,  from  all  anxiety,  and  as- 
suring you  by  this  dispatch  of  the  entire  confidence 
which  I  place  in  you,  and  the  satisfaction  which  it 
gave  me  to  receive  so  high  a  testimony  of  the  sincerity 
of  your  conduct,  as  that  given  me  by  the  cardinal, 
my  uncle,  in  his  letter,  I  am  obliged,  to  my  extreme 
regret,  to  communicate  a  mournful  circumstance, 
which  has  caused  me  the  deepest  sorrow,  as  Koullet 
and  others  of  your  good  friends  can  testify.  In  short, 
God  has  at  one  stroke  afflicted  you  and  me,  by  taking 
from  us  your  brother,  the  only  minister  whom  I  se- 
lected to  comfort  and  counsel  me,  in  this  my  long 
affliction  and  banishment  from  among  my  good  ser-  . 
vants  and  friends.  We  are  bound  to  praise  God  for 
all  things,  a  point  on  which  you  can  better  admonish 
me  than  I  you,  but  more  especially  ought  we  to  praise 
him,because  he  died  a  good  Christian,  a  good  man,  be- 
loved by  every  one,  regretted  both  by  friends  and  ene- 
mies :  but  above  all  by  me,  who,  having  performed  the 


Isl  A  R  Y    Q  U  E  E  X    OF  SCOTS. 


309 


duty  of  a  kind  mistress  and  friend,  in  seeing  him  prop- 
erly treated  and  attended  to,  served  as  a  witness  of  his 
good  end,  solemnizing  with  my  tears  the  close  of  his 
life,  and  accompanying  his  soul  with  my  prayers. 
Now  he  is  happy,  and  there,  whither  we  must  all  hope 
to  go,  while  I  am  deprived,  amid  all  my  afflictions,  of 
a  faithful  and  tried  servant.  The  sorrow  and  grief 
which  I  know  you  will  feel  for  his  death,  would  make 
me  apprehensive  of  losing  you  likewise,  so  incessant 
are  become  the  attacks  of  misfortune,  were  I  not 
aware  of  the  good  sense  you  possess,  and  that  your 
fear  of  God,  and  your  great  zeal  for  my  interest,  will 
cause  you  to  submit  to  his  will,  and  to  take  care  of 
yourself  in  order  to  serve  me. 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  have  your  other 
brother  about  me,  and  in  the  same  capacity  as  the  de- 
ceased, thereby  confirming  the  gift  made  to  the  latter, 
agreeably  to  his  last  wish,  which  he  called  me  to 
witness.  I,  therefore,  beg  you  to  send  him  to  me, 
fully  instructed  as  to  what  you  may  desire  I  should 
do  for  you  and  yours,  relying  upon  it  that  I  shall  ex- 
ert myself  as  zealously  as  for  any  servant  I  have,  and 
more  so.  He  had  two  of  his  relatives  and  servants 
here ;  the  one  named  Arelin  Bethem,  who  was  for- 
merly with  me,  and  w^hom,  for  his  sake,  I  shall  be 
most  willing  to  serve  whenever  occasion  may  oifer  ; 
the  other,  Thomas  Archibald,  whom  I  have  taken  into 
my  household,  and  am  equally  disposed  to  serve.  If 
I  could  do  more  to  show  how  much  I  loved  and  es- 
teemed your  late  brother,  most  gladly  would  I  do  it. 

"  As  to  yourself,  Roullet  can  bear  witness  how  lit- 


310  MARY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

tie  lieed  I  gave  to  those  who  wished  to  lessen  you  in 
my  good  ophiion  ;  to  prove  this  to  you,  I  will  either 
make  Quantly,  on  wliom  all  the  blame  is  thrown,  con- 
fess his  fault,  for  which  he  shall  be  rewarded  accord- 
ing to  his  deserts,  or  give  the  name  of  his  author, 
which  I  shall  transmit  to  M.  the  cardinal  and  you,  so 
that  you  can  consult  together,  and  for  your  satisfaction 
take  such  steps  as  you  may  consider  necessary  for 
your  honor,  and  for  making  public  the  high  opinion 
and  confidence  I  have  in  you,  of  which  I  beg  you  to 
be  assured  ;  and  as  a  proof  that  you  may  not  doubt 
the  assurance  which  I  give  you  of  my  favor,  take  all 
the  care  you  can  of  yourself,  that  you  may  serve  me 
whenever  it  may  please-  God  that  I  shall  return 
to  my  country,  where  I  hope  to  have  you  near  me, 
as  one  of  the  pillars  on  which  I  shall  found  my  gov- 
ernment. 

"  If  this  treaty  be  soon  concluded,  I  shall  be  very 
glad  to  see  you  here.  In  the  meantime  I  shall  write 
you  a  full  account  of  my  affairs  by  the  bearer  of  this, 
whom  I  beg  you  will  send  back  as  soon  as  possible 
with  your  answer,  as  there  are  certain  points  concern- 
ing which  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  have  a  re])ly 
in  a  month.  I  have  signed  an  acknowledgment  for 
something  that  I  owe  him  ;  I  beg  you  will  get  his 
business  dispatched,  and  send  him  back  to  me 
forthwith. 

"  Make  my  apologies  to  those  to  whom  I  have  not 
written  with  my  own  hand  ;  for,  since  the  death  of 
Beton,  I  have  had  a  complaint  in  one  eye,  which  is 
much  inflamed,  and  I  think  tliat  the  pleasure  I  take 


MARY    Q  a  E  E  X    OF  SCOTS. 


311 


in  writing  to  jou  will  not  amend  it,  as  joii  ^vill  per- 
ceive from  the  first  page. 

"Now,  to  conclude,  I  pray  God  to  comfort  you, 
and  to  be  assured  of  my  good  will  and  gratitude  for 
your  good  services ;  and  send  your  brother  to  me,  for 
I  have  no  one  here  to  attend  upon  me,  and  to  give 
orders  to  my  household,  and,  besides,  he  belongs  to 
you ;  though  I  am  sure  you  have  a  good  friend  in 
Eoullet,  and  a  friend  in  Seyton,  who  will  be  as  ready 
in  your  absence  to  render  you  the  services  of  a  good 
friend,  as  a  relation,  or  any  other  person  that  you 
might  have  about  me,  both  for  the  affection  which 
she  bears  toward  all  those  whom  she  knows  to  have 
been  faithful  servants  to  me,  and  on  account  of  the 
kindness  she  feels  for  her  good  friends,  among  whom 
she  reckoned  your  deceased  brother,  whose  soul  may 
God  take  into  his  keeping ;  and  grant  consolation  to 
you  and  to  me,  an  end  to  my  afflictions,  or  patience  to 
bear  them  according  to  his  good  pleasure,  to  whom 
be  praise,  in  good  or  in  evil. 

"  Your  very  kind  mistress  and  friend, 

"Makt  E." 

But  Mary  was  doomed  to  speedy  disappointment. 
Charles  IX.  of  France,  and  other  foreign  princes,  dis- 
approved of  parts  of  the  treaty.  Elizabeth  embraced 
the  embarrassments  as  a  sufficient  reason  for  closing 
tlie  negotiation  ;  and  the  promise  of  a  pacific  disj^osal 
of  conflicting  interests  was  entirely  blasted.  Mary 
was  beneatii  a  sky  of  deeper  gloom  than  ever  before 
sino^  her  captivity.    "  Djring  the  two  years  and  a 


312 


MAEY    Q-DEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


lialf  wliicli  slie  had  been  a  prisoner  in  England,  she 
had  sought  to  obtain  her  deliverance  and  restoration 
bj  the  exertions  of  her  party  in  Scotland,  by  her 
marriage  with  the  head  of  the  English  nobility,  by 
the  insurrection  of  Elizabeth's  Catholic  subjects,  by 
the  union  of  the  Scottish  lords,  sustained  by  the  court 
of  France,  after  Murray's  death,  and,  finally,  by  an 
accommodation  with  her  fortunate  and  powerful  rival. 
All  attempts  had,  however,  failed.  The  Scotch  who 
were  faithful  to  her  cause,  had  been  overcome  by 
Murray  in  1569,  and  weakened  by  Elizabeth  in  1570 ; 
her  marriage  with  the  duke  of  Norfolk  had  met  with 
but  little  favor  in  Scotland,  and  had  been  positively 
prohibited  in  England ;  the  English  Catholics  had 
twice  revolted,  and  had  been  twice  defeated  ;  the  ac- 
commodation negotiated  at  Chats  worth,  with  so  many 
concessions  on  her  part,  had  been  rejected ;  and 
France  had  not  only  failed  to  support  her,  but  seemed 
likely  to  renounce  her  ancient  league  with  Scotland, 
to  form  a  new  alliance  with  England." 

She  now  turned  to  Philip  XL  of  Spain,  whom  she 
hoped  might  be  persuaded  to  attempt  an  invasion  of 
England.  To  do  this,  she  must  assure  him  of  the  co- 
operation of  the  Duke  of  ISTorfolk  at  the  head  of  an 
armed  force,  whenever  the  allies  landed  on  English 
soil.  Mary  had  maintained  a  familiar  correspondence 
with  ^Norfolk  in  cipher,  miknown  to  Elizabeth.  The 
plague,  which  was  raging  in  London,  entered  tlio 
Tower,  and  the  duke  was  permitted  to  retire  to  a  pri- 
vate residence,  partially  guarded,  upon  a  solemn 
promise  to  close  forever  all  communication  with  Mary 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


313 


Stuart,  and  abandon  the  design  of  marriage.  With 
the  doom  of  a  traitor  impending  if  he  broke  his 
pledge,  to  which  he  consented,  he  immediately  re- 
newed the  most  tender  expressions  of  affection  for  the 
prisoner,  and  she  reciprocated  the  devotion  in  her  own 
ardent  and  eloquent  language.  He  was  thereupon 
ripe  for  a  conspiracy,  the  last  resort  of  thwarted  am- 
bition. 

The  Bishop  of  Ross,  in  connection  with  the  Floren- 
tine Ridolfi,  matured  the  plan  of  operations.  Ridolfi 
was  a  wealthy  banker,  a  relative  of  the  Medici  family, 
and  a  man  of  great  influence  with  the  English  nobil- 
ity. The  Duke  of  IS^orfolk  was  consulted,  and  the 
Florentine  dispatched  to  the  Duke  of  Alva,  residing 
at  Brussels.  Through  this  Catholic  counselor  and 
general,  it  was  hoped  that  an  appeal  to  the  Pope  and 
Philip  n.,  would  secure  soldiers  and  arms  for  dethro- 
ning the  Queen  of  England,  and  restoring  Mary  to 
sovereignty.  The  fading,  defeated  captive,  engaged 
with  youthful  enthusiasm  in  the  plot.  The  Duke  of 
Alva  thus  addressed  King  Philip  on  the  subject : 

"  Considering  the  pity  and  interest  with  which  the 
unworthy  treatment  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland  and 
her  adherents  cannot  fail  to  inspire  your  majesty ; 
considering  the  obligation  under  which  you  are  placed 
by  God,  to  obtain  by  all  means  in  your  power,  the 
triumphant  restoration  of  Catholicism  in  those  islands ; 
considering,  moreover,  the  injuries  which  the  Queen 
of  England  does  in  so  many  ways,  and  on  so  many 
sides,  to  your  majesty  and  your  subjects,  without  any 
hopes  of  being  on  better  terms  with  her,  as  regards 
N 


311  MABY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

religion  and  neighborhood,  as  long  as  she  reigns ;  it 
appears  to  me  that  the  plan  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland 
and  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  if  it  could  be  properly  car- 
ried out,  would  be  the  best  method  of  remedying  the 

evil  

"  If  the  secret  were  not  kept,  the  enterprise  would 
fall  to  the  ground  ;  the  lives  of  both  the  Queen  of 
Scotland  and  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  would  be  endan- 
gered ;  the  Queen  of  England  would  find  the  oppor- 
tunity, which  she  has  sought  so  long,  for  getting  rid 
of  her  and  her  partisans  ;  the  hopes  of  the  Catholic 
religion  would  be  crushed  forever,  and  the  whole 
would  recoil  upon  your  majesty.  .  .  .  Wherefore,  no 
one  can  think  of  advising  your  majesty  to  furnish  the 
assistance  sought  of  you,  under  the  form  in  which  it 
is  requested.  But  if  the  Queen  of  England  should 
die,  either  a  natural  death  or  any  other  death,  or  if  her 
person  should  be  seized  without  your  majesty's  con- 
currence, then  I  should  perceive  no  further  difficult}'. 
The  proposals  between  the  Queen  of  England  and  the 
Duke  of  Anjou  would  cease,  the  French  would  be 
less  fearfal  that  your  majesty  should  seek  to  become 
master  of  England,  the  Germans  would  look  upon 
you  with  less  distrust,  since  you  would  have  no  other 
object  but  to  sustain  the  Queen  of  Scotland  against 
the  rival  claimants  of  the  crown  of  England.  In  that 
case,  it  would  be  easy  to  reduce  them  to  reason  before 
other  princes  could  interfere,  as  we  could  profit  by  the 
convenience  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk's  county,  where 
we  could  disembark  the  six  thousand  men  he  requires, 
not  within  the  forty  days  during  which  he  could  main- 


^  MAKr    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  315 

tain  liimself  unassisted,  but  within  thirty  or  twenty- 
five  days." 

July  Tth,  1571,  Kidolfi  divulged,  at  the  Escurial, 
the  scheme  of  conspirac3^  It  was  to  murder  Eliza- 
beth while  she  was  traveling,  and  one  James  Grafi's 
was  the  accepted  assassin  ;  then  revolution  would  fin- 
ish the  papal  work  in  both  kingdoms.  While  the 
mode  of  destroying  the  English  Queen,  and  other 
points  in  the  bold  design,  were  under  exciting  discus- 
sion in  the  Spanish  court,  and  among  interested  prin- 
ces, suspicion,  first  awakened  in  the  mind  of  the  vigi- 
lant Cecil,  by  letters  from  Bailly,  who  was  conf?  ed 
in  Marshalsea  prison  on  account  of  an  open  defi  ce 
of  Mary,  led  to  a  full  disclosure  of  the  plot.  TL..jse 
letters  were  directed  to  the  Bishop  of  Ross,  and  i  ela- 
ted to  the  conspiracy.  Bailly  was  removed  to  the 
Tower  and  put  on  the  rack. 

He  confessed  all  he  knew,  establishing  tne  exis- 
tence of  the  daring  combination,  but  did  no":  reveal 
the  names  of  the  guilty  parties.  In  this  uncertainty 
the  affairs  continued,  until  several  months  later,  when 
civil  war  in  Scotland  was  resumed  with  terrific  sever- 
ity. The  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  was  captured 
by  the  Earl  of  Lennox  and  executed.  His  death  lent 
an  unsparing  cruelty  to  the  contest.  Mary,  in  a  brief 
letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow,  disclosed  her 
unbroken  attachment  to  the  Catholic  faith ; 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  AKCHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW. 

"  Sheffield,  18th  September,  1571. 
"  M.  de  Glascow  —  though  John  Gordon,  the  bear- 


316  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

er  of  this,  is  a  Protestant,  yet  lie  is  a  faithful  servant 
to  me,  and  lias  written  against  Knox  and  the  minis- 
ters, in  favor  of  my  authority,  and  I  hope  that  in  time 
and  in  the  society  of  learned  men,  he  will  become 
converted  ;  to  this  end  I  beg  you  will  introduce  him 
to  the  most  learned,  as  Master  Riggan  began ;  and 
besides,  my  Lord  Hundly,  and  my  lord  his  father,  are 
now  at  the  castle,  having  lost  all  their  property  for 
adhering  to  my  cause.  I  beg  you,  therefore  to  do  all 
in  your  power  for  the  bearer,  agreeably  to  the  open 
letter  which  I  have  given  to  the  bearer,  and  to  con- 
tinue to  him  his  usual  pension,  and  take  pains  to  gain 
him,  for  he  is  a  very  learned  young  man,  of  an  amia- 
ble disposition,  and  related  to  many  worthy  persons. 
I  have  no  doubt,  if  he  could  but^be  sent  to  an  instruc- 
tor who  is  a  Jesuit,  he  might  turn  Catholic ;  and  to 
this  end,  M.  de  Glascow,  take  care  to  send  a  supply 
of  money,  and  keep  up  a  communication  with  the 
palace,  and  act  as  a  faithful  servant  of  God  and  of 
your  country.  Take  care  of  our  country,  as  I  have 
not  means  of  doing  so,  and  be  assured  that  you  will 
find  in  me  a  kind  mistress  and  friend.  Solicit  all  the 
ambassadors  and  my  relations  to  join  you  in  interce- 
ding for  me,  and  I  pray  God  to  grant  his  grace  to  you 
and  patience  to  me.  Ask  the  king  to  obtain  for  me  a 
confessor,  to  administer  the  sacraments,  in  case  God 
should  call  me  by  one  way  or  other. 

"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"MakyE." 

The  defenders  of  Mary  Stuart  in  Scotland  were  re- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


duced  to  extremity,  and  Higliford,  a  secretary  of  tlie 
Diike  of  ]^orfolkj  volunteered  to  transmit  money  and 
dispatches  to  Lord  Herries.  But  the  dispatches 
treacherously  reached  Cecil,  whom  Elizabeth  had 
created  Lord  Burghley.  l^orfolk,  Higliford,  and  Bar- 
ker were  arrested.  Highford  revealed  the  whole 
conspiracy  minutely,  and  the  cipher  used  by  the 
duke  in  his  correspondence  concerning  Ridolfi's  mis- 
sion. Barker,  who  was  aged  and  feeble,  when  he  saw 
the  rack,  confessed,  and  confirmed  the  statements  of 
Highford.  IN^orfolk  was  now  hopelessly  involved  in 
treason.  After  an  attempt  at  denial,  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  the  testimony  of  his  friends,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  I  am  betrayed  !  "  He  then  addressed  his 
humble  petitions  for  mercy  to  Elizabeth.  The  alarmed 
and  inflexible  Queen  resolved  to  make  him  an  exam- 
ple to  the  restless  nobles,  and  indicate  her  royal 
strength  and  policy  to  foreign  foes.  The  lords  impli- 
cated by  the  letters  were  arrested,  and  the  trial  of 
IN'orfolk  appointed.  January  14,  1572,  he  was  sum- 
moned before  a  jury  of  twenty-seven  peers,  in  West- 
minster Hall. 

"  The  duke  appeared  before  his  judges  with  all  the 
dignity  of  his  rank,  and  displayed  gi-eater  firmness 
of  mind  than  he  had  previously  manifested.  He  was 
accused  of  having  conspired  to  deprive  the  Queen  of 
her  crown,  and  consequently,  of  life ;  of  having 
sought  to  marry  Mary  Stuart,  (whom  he  had  termed 
an  adulteress  and  murderess,)  out  of  ambition,  that 
he  might  use  the  claims  she  possessed  to  procure  his 
own  accession  to  the  throne  of  England ;  of  having 


318 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


aided  the  Queen's  enemies  in  Scotland  ;  and  of  having 
plotted  on  the  Continent  with  the  Pope  and  the  King 
of  Spain,  to  change  the  religion,  and  overthrow  the 
government  of  England.  His  answer  to  these  char- 
ges was  skilful  and  plausible.  Admitting  all  that  he 
could  not  disprove,  he  confessed  that  he  had  been 
aware  of  matters  which  he  ought  not  to  have  known, 
but  to  which  he  had  never  been  willing  to  consent. 
Although  he  repudiated  indignantly  all  thought  of 
treason  against  the  Queen,  and  alleged  his  inaction 
as  a  proof  of  his  innocence,  he  was  unanimously  found 
guilty  by  his  peers,  and,  on  the  16th  of  January,  con- 
demned to  be  hanged,  drawn  and  quartered.  On 
hearing  his  sentence,  he  protested  that  he  should  die 
as  faithful  to  his  Queen  as  any  man  living;  then 
turning  to  his  judges,  he  said  with  emotion ;  '  My 
lords,  seeing  you  have  put  me  out  of  your  company, 
I  trust  shortly  to  be  in  better  company.  I  will  not 
desire  any  of  you  all  to  make  any  petition  for  my 
life  ;  I  will  not  desire  to  live :  I  am  at  a  point.  Only 
I  beseech  you,  my  lords,  to  be  humble  suitors  to  the 
Queen's  majesty  for  my  poor  orphan  children,  that  it 
will  please  her  majesty  to  be  good  to  them,  and  to 
take  order  for  the  payment  of  my  debts,  and  some 
consideration  of  my  poor  servants.' 

"  On  his  return  to  the  Tower,  he  wrote  to  the  Queen 
a  letter  expressive  of  the  deepest  affliction  and  the 
most  heartfelt  repentance,  recommending  to  her  gen- 
erosity his  children,  '  who,'  he  said,  '  now  they  have 
neither  father  nor  mother,  will  find  but  few  friends.' 
He  did  not  cease  to  deplore  the  connection  which  he 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


319 


had  formed  with  the  Queen  of  Scotland,  and,  in  bitter 
truthfuhiess,  he  remarked,  'that  nothing  that  any- 
body goeth  about  for  her,  nor  that  she  doeth  for  her- 
self, prospereth.' " 

Mary,  closely  confined  in  the  Castle  of  Sheffield, 
deprived  of  company  and  fresh  air,  sank  in  health 
and  spirits  under  this  fatal  blow  to  her  wild  and  soar- 
ing hopes.  Elizabeth  filled  to  the  brim  her  cup  of 
woe,  by  hurling  long  delayed  reproaches  upon  the 
captive ;  accusing  her  of  ungoverned  passions,  ingrat- 
itude, and  the  ruin  of  IN'orfolk.  Mary  Stuart,  true  to 
her  ancestral  blood,  retorted,  with  bitter  charges  of 
deception  and  cruelty.  She  did  not  conceal  her  dis- 
appointment in  tlie  failure  of  the  conspiracy,  and  said 
"  she  determined  to  allow  herself  to  be  fed  with  hopes 
no  longer."  She  expressed  patience,  resignation  to 
God's  will,  and  courage  to  meet  death. 

She  affirmed  that  she  did  not  entertain  the  thought 
of  marrying  J^orfolk  without  the  consent  of  the  coun- 
cil of  England,  and  added  respecting  him  and  other 
nobles,  "  that  she  should  think  herself  worthy  to  be 
universally  reputed  ungrateful,  and  of  bad  natural 
disposition,  if  she  did  not  employ  all  the  means  which 
God  had  left  her  in  this  world  to  mitio-ate  the  ano^er 
of  the  Queen  of  England  against  the  Duke  of  JSTor- 
folk,  and  the  other  nobles  who  had  got  into  trouble 
by  bearing  her  some  good  will,  and  if  she  did  not 
supplicate  her  good  sister  to  grant  them  her  peace,  or 
at  least  prevent  them  sufiering  any  pain  on  her  ac- 
count." Elizabeth  vacillated  on  the  sentence  of  the 
duke's  execution.    Justice  impelled  her  to  sign  his 


320 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


deatli-warrant ;  then  the  remembrance  of  his  rela- 
tionship and  high  position,  would  induce  her  to  revoke 
it.  The  House  of  Commons,  in  which  the  Puritans 
had  the  ascendency,  meanwhile  demanded  the  exe- 
cution of  Mary  Stuart ;  a  step  that  would  "  lay  the 
axe  at  the  root  of  the  evil."  Elizabeth  refused  to  "  put 
to  death  the  bird,  which,  to  escape  the  pursuit  of  the 
hawk,  had  fled  to  her  for  protection."  But  she  no 
longer  hesitated  as  to  the  fate  of  ISTorfolk.  May  31st, 
she  signed  the  fatal  warrant ;  and  at  8  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  June  2d,  he  was  led  to  the  scaffold  upon 
Tower  Hill.  The  nobler  qualities  of  his  character 
shone  forth  finely  beneath  the  gathering  shadows  of 
the  spirit-land.  His  calm  and  unshrinking  approach 
to  the  margin  of  dissolution,  chained  the  attention  of 
all  spectators.  In  a  long  address,  he  avowed  his  sin- 
cere devotion  to  the  Protestant  religion ;  thanked 
Elizabeth  for  her  promised  kindness  to  his  offspring ; 
and  conscious  of  his  own  ambitious  aberrations  from 
loyalty,  he  uttered  these  words  of  warning :  "  They 
that  have  factions,  let  them  beware  that  they  be  given 
over  betimes.  Seek  not  to  deviate  God's  doings,  lest 
God  prevent  yours."  The  people  were  affected  to 
tears.  The  duke  then  offered  earnest  prayer,  and  re- 
fusing to  have  his  eyes  covered,  serenely  laid  his  head 
on  the  block.  The  descending  axe  did  its  work,  and 
the  troubled  brain  of  the  conspirator  was  at  rest  for- 
ever !  Mary  Stuart's  cause  in  England  also  expired 
on  that  scaffold.  Insurrections  and  plots  had  succeed- 
ed each  other  in  dark  and  sanguinary  colors.  l!^orfolk 
resembled  Darnley  in  an  indecision  wdiich  ruined  his 


MAET    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


321 


most  promising  plans,  but  in  everything  else,  was 
vastly  the  superior  of  the  murdered  King.  Francis 
IL,  Cliatelard,  the  mad  lover,  Bothwell,  and  Norfolk, 
had  left  Mary's  side,  and  still  she  lived,  weak  in  frame 
and  strong  in  ambition. 

Manifold  and  oppressive  must  have  been  the  recol- 
lections that  thronged  the  mind  of  the  illustrious  cap- 
tive in  her  lonely  apartments !  The  gay  dreams  of  a 
French  court,  the  scenes  of  festivity  and  violence  in 
Scotland's  capital,  the  excitements  of  misplaced  and 
lawless  affection,  lay  in  the  past ;  while  the  blackness 
of  despair  hung  menacingly  on  the  future.  Unfor- 
tunate Queen,  whose  beauty  was  the  rainbow  upon 
the  bosom  of  a  perpetual  storm  I 


CHAPTER  VIII 


CHANGES  IN  THE  REGENCY  OF  SCOTLAND  MASSACRE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOME\r 

 ITS  EFFECT  ON  ELIZABETH,  AND  MART's  PROSPECTS  DESIGNS  AGAINST 

MARY  DEATH  OF  KNOX  THE  TOTAL  OVERTHROW  OF  HER  PARTY  IN 

SCOTLAND  LETTER  TO    ELIZABETH  LENITY  OF    THE  ENGLISH  QUEEN 

 CORRESPONDENCE  OF  MARY  STUART  ANOTHER  CONSPIRACY  LET- 
TERS TO  ARCHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW  EXECUTION  OF  MORTON,  REGENT  OF 

SCOTLAND  A  NEW  CONSPIRACY  ITS  FAILURE  LETTER  OF  MARY  TO 

ELIZABETH. 

The  Eari  of  Lennox  had  been  sliot  by  Mary's  par- 
tisans, and  tlie  Earl  of  Mar  unanimously  appointed 
his  successor,  at  a  meeting,  of  the  King's  nobles  the 
next  day.  Unable  to  crush  the  faction  of  Mary  Stu- 
art, Elizabeth  effected  a  truce  between  the  hostile 
armies.  A  treaty  with  France  calmed  her  fears  of 
trouble  w^ith  Charles  IX.,  when  suddenly,  as  a  falling 
thunderbolt,  came  the  tidings  of  the  merciless  butch- 
ery of  St.  Bartholomew.  A  shriek  of  horror  rose 
from  Protestant  England.  The  Queen  assembled  her 
council,  and  denied  for  some  days  audience  to  the 
French  ambassador.  When  she  relented,  and  con- 
sented to  see  him,  she  appeared  with  the  ladies  of  her 
court,  dressed  in  deep  mourning.  A  sepulchral  si- 
lence pervaded  tlie  apartment,  and  sealed  every  lip. 
While  Fenelon  passed  through  the  crowd,  the  eyes  of 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 


323 


the  courtiers  fell,  and  not  a  smile  illumined  liis  ad- 
vance toward  the  haughty  and  solemn  sovereign. 
She  expressed  her  sad  surprise  at  the  permission  of 
his  King  to  that  Papal  slaughter  of  Protestants,  and 
her  apprehension  of  betrayal,  notwithstanding  the 
treaty.  She  immediately  fortified  Dover  and  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  levied  troops,  and  made  preparations  for 
invincible  self-defence.  Mary  Stuart  became  an  ob- 
ject of  increasing  solicitude  and  vigilance.  She  was 
the  star  of  Catholic  empire  in  Scotland  and  England. 
Elizabeth  determined,  as  her  only  security,  to  keep 
her  captive  in  perpetual  imprisonment.  Divines  and 
jurists  united  in  proving  Mary  worthy  of  death,  and 
both  houses  of  Parliament  desired  to  bring  in  a  bill 
of  attainder,  which  the  Queen,  to  her  honor,  rejected. 
Mary  was  again  visited  by  English  lords,  and  ques- 
tioned upon  the  charges  preferred  against  her.  She 
denied  any  designed  hostility  to  Elizabeth,  in  the  pro- 
posed alliance  with  ISTorfolk,  and  affirmed  that  Ridolfi's 
embassay  aimed  only  at  the  deliverance  of  Scotland, 
and  her  relations  to  Philip  11.  and  Pius  IX.  The 
Queen  of  England  disregarded  the  explanations,  and 
entered  upon  an  experiment  similar  to  that  often  re- 
peated vainly  in  Mary's  experience.  A  plan  was 
secretly  laid  to  strengthen  Protestantism  in  Scotland, 
by  harmonizing  antagonistic  leaders,  and  delivering 
the  royal  prisoner  to  them  for  execution,  upon  their 
urgent  solicitation.  Sir  Henry  Killegrew,  brother-in- 
law  of  Cecil,  (Lord  Burghley,)  left  England  on  this 
mission,  September  Tth,  in  the  fever  of  excitement 
which  followed  the  intelligence  of  the  Parisian  tra- 


324 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


gedy.  John  Knox  was  in  Edinburgh,  smitten  with 
apoplexy,  and  evidently  near  death.  The  delibe- 
rate murder  of  severity  thousand  Protestants,  among 
them  distinguished  friends,  roused  the  wasting  ener- 
gies of  the  great  Reformer.  He  was  carried  to  the 
church,  and  mounting  his  pulpit,  poured  forth  a  tor- 
rent of  eloquent  execration  on  the  slayers  of  his 
brethren.  His  influence  aided  the  cause  of  Kille^rew. 
The  Earls  Morton  and  Mar  accepted  the  proposition 
of  Elizabeth  on  these  conditions : 

"That  the  Queen  of  England  should  take  their 
young  King  under  her  protection:  that  his  rights 
should  not  be  invalidated  by  any  sentence  which 
might  be  passed  upon  his  mother,  and  that  they  should 
be  maintained  by  a  declaration  of  the  English  Par- 
liament :  that  a  defensive  alliance  should  be  establish- 
ed between  the  two  kingdoms :  that  the  Earls  of  Hun- 
tingdon, Bedford  or  Essex,  should  be  present  at 
Mary's  execution  with  two  or  three  thousand  men, 
and  should  afterwards  assist  the  troops  of  tlie  young 
King  to  reduce  the  city  of  Edinburgh  :  and  finally, 
that  that  fortress  should  be  placed  in  the  regent's 
hands,  and  that  England  should  pay  all  the  arrears 
due  to  the  Scottish  troops." 

The  extravagant  terms  of  the  noblemen,  with  the 
sudden  death  of  the  regent,  defeated  the  scheme. 
ITovember  2-ith,  Morton  was  elected  to  the  regency 
of  Scotland.  Upon  that  same  day  in  Edinburgh, 
John  Knox  was  calmly  waitiug  for  his  departure  from 


]\tAET    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


325 


ear  til.  He  liad  given  to  the  session  of  his  cliiircli  a 
dying  charge  of  great  eloquence  and  power,  which 
deeply  impressed  the  minds  of  the  reverent  specta- 
tors. With  a  kindling  eye  and  difficult  breathing,  he 
said,  in  vindication  of  his  ministerial  career : 

"  Tlie  day  approaches,  and  is  now  before  the  door, 
for  which  I  have  frequently  and  vehemently  thirsted, 
when  I  shall  be  released  from  my  great  labors  and  in- 
numerable sorrows,  and  shall  be  with  Christ.  And 
now,  God  is  my  witness,  whom  I  have  served  in  the 
spirit,  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  that  I  have  taught  no- 
thing but  the  true  and  solid  doctrine  of  the  gospel  of 
tlie  Son  of  God,  and  have  had  it  for  my  only  object  to 
instruct  the  ignorant,  to  confirm  the  faithful,  to  comfort 
the  weak,  the  fearful,  and  the  distressed,  by  the  prom- 
ises of  grace,  and  to  fight  against  the  proud  and  rebel- 
lious by  the  divine  threatenings.  I  know  that  many 
have  frequently  complained,  and  do  still  loudly  com- 
plain, of  my  too  great  severity  ;  but  God  knows  that 
my  mind  was  always  void  of  hatred  to  the  pei-sons  of 
those  against  whom  I  thundered  the  severest  judg- 
ments. I  cannot  deny  that  I  felt  the  greatest  abhor- 
rence at  the  sins  in  which  they  indulged,  but  still,  I 
kept  this  one  thing  in  view,  that,  if  possible,  I  might 
gain  them  to  the  Lord.  What  influenced  me  to 
utter  whatever  the  Lord  put  into  my  mouth,  so  boldly, 
and  without  respect  of  persons,  was  a  reverential 
fear  of  my  God,  who  called  and  of  his  grace  appoint- 
ed me  to  be  a  steward  of  divine  mysteries,  and  a  be- 
lief that  he  will  demand  an  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  I  have  discharged  the  trust  committed  to  me, 


326 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


when  I  shall  stand  at  last  before  his  tribunal.  I  pro- 
fess, therefore,  before  God,  and  before  his  holy  angels, 
that  I  never  made  merchandize  of  the  sacred  word 
of  God,  never  studied  to  please  men,  never  indulged 
my  own  private  passions  or  those  of  others,  but  faith- 
fully distributed  the  talents  entrusted  to  me  for  the 
edification  of  the  church  over  which  I  watched. 
Whatever  obloquy  wicked  men  may  cast  on  me  re- 
specting this  point,  I  rejoice  in  the  testimony  of  a 
good  conscience.  In  the  mean  time,  my  dear  breth- 
ren, do  you  persevere  in  the  eternal  truth  of  the  gos- 
pel :  wait  diligently  on  the  flock  over  which  the  Lord 
hath  set  you,  and  which  he  redeemed  with  the  blood 
of  his  only  begotten  Son.  And  thou,  my  dearest 
brother  Lawson,  fight  the  good  fight,  and  do  the  work 
of  the  Lord  joyfully  and  resolutely.  The  Lord  from 
on  high  bless  you,  and  the  whole  church  of  Edinburgh, 
against  whom,  as  long  as  they  persevere  in  the  word 
of  truth  which  they  have  heard  of  me,  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail." 

Besides  his  wife,  Bannatyne,  Campbell  of  Kinyean- 
cleuch,  and  Johnston  of  Elphingston,  and  Dr.  Preston, 
his  intimate  friends,  watched  in  turn  at  his  bed-side. 
Campbell  inquired  if  he  were  in  pain.  "  It  is  no 
painful  pain,  but  such  a  pain  as  shall  soon,  I  trust, 
put  an  end  to  the  battle.  I  must  leave  the  care  of 
my  wife  and  children  to  you,  to  whom  you  must  be 
husband  in  my  room."  Soon  after,  his  vision  began 
to  fail,  and  he  desired  his  wife  to  read  the  15th  chap- 
ter of  first  Corinthians.  He  listened  devoutly  to  the 
message  of  God,  and  then  exclaimed,  "Is  not  that  a 


MAKY    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


327 


comfortable  chapter  ?  O  what  sweet  and  salutary 
consolation  the  Lord  has  afforded  me  from  that  chap- 
ter !  "  A  few  moments  later  he  said,  "  Now  for  the 
last  time  I  commend  my  soul,  spirit  and  body,  (touch- 
ing three  of  liis  fingers,)  into  tliy  hand,  O  Lord  !  " 

Lingering  longer  than  he  expected,  he  added  to  his 
wife,  "  Go  read  where  I  cast  my  first  anchor  ;  "  mean- 
ing the  17th  chapter  of  St  John.  After  a  terrible 
spiritual  conflict,  he  replied  to  the  inquiry,  if  he  heard 
the  prayers  offered  in  his  behalf:  "Would  to  God 
that  you  and  all  men  had  heard  them  as  I  have  heard 
them  ;  I  praise  God  for  that  heavenly  sound."  About 
eleven  o'clock  at  night,  he  sighed  heavily,  and  said, 
"  ISTow  it  is  come  !  "  He  was  speechless  ;  but  when 
desired  to  give  a  sign  of  j)eace,  he  raised  both  hands, 
and  expired  as  placidly  as  an  infant  falling  asleep.  He 
was  nearly  sixty-seven ;  less  worn  with  age  than  with 
conflicts  and  trials,  whose  field  of  battle  and  storm  is 
the  immorality  within.  He  had  bared  his  breast  before 
the  enemies  of  his  beloved  church  and  native  land. 
The  skeptical  sneer  of  partial  historians,  falls  power- 
less on  the  death-scene  of  such  a  man.  Gifted  and 
heroic,  sometimes  bold  to  a  fault,  he  was  beloved  by 
the  pious  burghers,  respected  by  the  nobility,  and 
universally  lamented  by  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  discovered  before  his  death,  the  coming  complete 
triumph  of  the  Protestant  faith,  under  the  energetic 
Morton. 

The  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  after  an  obstinate  and 
brave  resistance,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  besiegers, 
May  31st ;  and  the  last  fortress  of  Mary's  dishearten- 


328 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ed  troops  was  a  scathed  and  battered  citadel,  within 
whose  walls  were  only  suppliants  for  mercy.  Not- 
withstanding much  earnest  interposition  to  save  thera, 
the  Laird  of  Grange  and  his  brother,  Sir  James  Kir- 
kaldy,  were  led  to  the  scaffold  at  the  Cross  of  Edin- 
burgh, August  3d,  1573.  They  died  loyal  to  Mary 
Stuart,  and  with  the  unshrinking  courage  of  a  sincere 
persuasion  of  past  well-doing.  With  those  strong 
adherents  was  lost  hopelessly  the  cause  of  Mary  Stu- 
art in  Scotland.  She  yielded  to  the  fury  of  the  tem- 
pest, and  was  the  victim  of  extreme  depression.  Since 
St.  Bartholomew's  day,  she  had  suffered  the  severities 
of  close  captivity;  forbidden  correspondence  and  the 
visits  of  friends.  ITow  that  her  faction  was  annihila- 
ted, more  liberty  was  permitted.  And  she  turned 
her  thoughts  to  an  altered  tone  of  pleading  with  Eliz- 
abeth. With  submissive  air,  she  sought  to  gain  by 
direct  means,  what  she  had  attempted  by  force  and 
stratagem.  She  wrote,  at  this  period,  the  following 
letter : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  Madam,  my  good  sister  —  I  consider  myself  very 
unfortunate  in  having  found,  in  my  adversity,  so 
many  persons  ready  to  injure  me  by  all  sorts  of  means, 
and  wrongfully ;  for  I  have  not,  that  I  know  of,  ever 
done  anything  to  deserve  their  displeasure.  Yet,  they 
are  every  day  making  some  fresh  report  to  you,  in 
order  to  make  you  suspicious  of,  and  angry  with  me, 
even  at  the  moment  when  I  am  most  anxious  to  avoid 
the  least  occasion  of  giving  you  offence.    I  state  this, 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  d*lO 

because,  ever  since  you  were  pleased  to  send  to  me 
Mr.  Wade,  and  other  commissioners,  who  informed 
me  of  part  of  your  anger  against  me,  I  have  endeav- 
ored not  to  speak,  to  write,  or  even  to  think  of  any- 
thing that  I  could  suppose  likely  to  give  you  any 
cause  whatever  to  be  displeased  with  me. 

"  Thus,  when  I  heard  of  the  loss  of  my  Castle  of 
Edinburgh,  and  other  reverses,  perceiving  that  peo- 
ple took  pleasure  in  talking  more  about  them  than 
was  necessary  for  comforting  me,  I  flatly  refused  to 
converse  upon  that  subject,  not  wishing  to  make  my 
misfortunes  a  pastime  to  any  one,  and  not  being  able 
to  remedy  them ;  and  also  expressly  not  to  furnish 
occasion  to  any  one  to  put  a  malicious  construction 
on  my  words ;  and  yet  you  daily  heard  some  false 
report  concerning  me,  as  I  perceive  from  the  letters 
of  De  la  Mothe  Fenelon,  ambassador  of  the  King,  my 
good  brother.  But  if  you  would  have  the  kindness 
to  reserve  an  ear  for  me,  before  condemning  me  on 
the  faith  of  those  who,  by  such  reports,  strive  to  in- 
cense you  against  me,  you  would  soon  find  that  they 
have  no  other  foundation  for  their  statements  than  a 
malicious  desire  to  injure  me. 

"  You  have  been  informed  that  I  had  attempted  to 
bribe  your  subjects  with  my  money  ;  but  if  you  will 
please  to  inquire,  you  will  find  it  a  mere  supposition, 
and  that,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  in  writing  to 
the  said  Sr.  de  la  Mothe  Fenelon,  I  have  too  manj 
urgent  calls  upon  the  income  I  receive,  to  be  able 
to  bring  more  money  hither  than  what  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  pay  my  servants,  and  provide  for  my 


330 


MAKY    QTEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


wants.  If  it  liad  been  agreeable  to  you,  you  might 
have  seen  this  from  the  account  which  I  have  kept 
of  my  moneys,  of  which  I  have  reserved  but  a  very 
small  sum  for  the  above  purpose. 

"  For  the  rest,  it  appears  unfortunate  for  my  affairs 
tliat  I  have  gained  so  many  friends,  seeing  the  ill  turns 
that  are  done  me  on  all  sides ;  and,  though  it  is  assert- 
ed that  I  complain  of  being  watched  too  closely,  and 
that  I  am,  nevertheless,  continually  gaining  persons 
to  my  side,  I  assure  you,  madam,  that  I  neither  see 
nor  speak  to  any  creature  in  the  world,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  those  under  whose  charge  you  have  placed 
me,  and  that  with  as  much  reserve  as  possible ;  for, 
as  for  any  complaint  or  remonstrance  that  I  have 
made  to  them,  God  knows  that  they  have  not  obliged 
me  by  any  remedy  they  have  applied ;  and  even  when 
they  have  granted  me  anything,  at  the  request  of  the 
said  Sr.  de  la  Mothe  Fenelon,  it  has  always  been  so 
thwarted  that  I  have  been  no  better  for  it.  I  do  not 
say  this  to  complain  of  any  one,  for  I  have  learned  to 
suffer,  since  it  is  your  pleasure,  and  I  shall  never  at- 
tribute to  any  but  you  the  good  or  evil  that  befalls 
me  in  this  country,  having  come  and  placed  myself 
in  your  hands,  as  being  my  surest  refuge,  for  the  hon- 
or I  have  to  be  your  nearest  kinswoman  and  neigh- 
bor, and  have  no  right  to  do  otherwise  than  you  com- 
mand ;  and  I  should  be  very  simple,  having  lived  so 
long  in  trouble,  if  I  did  or  said,  in  any  house  in  Eng- 
land, what  I  wished  not  to  be  referred  to  you  and  to 
your  council,  were  my  affection  other  than  it  is 
toward  you,  seeing  that  I  have  access  to  none  but 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  BOOTS. 


331 


tliose  whom  I  know  to  be  charged  to  watch  me.  I 
suffered  too  severely  at  Bourton  —  recollect,  if  you 
please,  the  charity  that  was  done  me  there  —  not  to 
be  on  my  guard  elsewhere,  though  I  may  not  appear 
to  be  so. 

"  But  to  conclude,  I  feel  my  conscience  so  clear,  that 
whatever  reports  may  be  made  of  my  actions,  provi- 
ded people  only  adhere  to  the  truth,  I  will  give  you 
no  cause  to  be  dissatisfied  with  me,  and  I  therefore 
beseech  you  not  to  believe  anything  that  may  be  told 
you  to  the  contrary ;  for,  I  assure  you,  that  I  have 
neither  written  nor  said  more  than  I  have  said  to  your 
commissioners,  or  written  to  yourself,  and  in  proof 
of  my  innocence  in  something,  if  you  should  be 
pleased  to  adopt  some  good  expedient,  that  with  your 
favor  I  might  go  to  France  or  Scotland,  things  being 
by  you  reestablished  for  my  honor  and  safety,  you 
will  find  that  I  should  feel  myself  greatly  obliged  to 
you,  and  I  will  gladly  prepare  to  quit  this  country, 
that  I  may  manifest  elsewhere,  when  at  liberty,  my 
affection  to  you,  which  people  strive  to  disguise  from 
you,  to  deprive  me  of  the  opportunity  of  defending 
myself  in  your  presence,  in  which  the  others  have 
time  and  place  to  accuse  me.  Be  this  as  it  may,  I 
beseech  you  in  future  to  believe  nothing  concerning 
me,  and  not  to  credit  or  hearken  to  anything  against 
me,  but  what  you  have  sufficient  proof  of ;  for  I  de- 
sire nothing  more  than  to  do  what  is  agreeable  to  you, 
if  you  will  be  pleased  to  grant  me  the  means,  and 
permit  me  to  have  access  to  you,  that  I  may  lay  be- 
fore 3^ou  my  grievances ;  for,  till  that  moment,  I  shall 


332 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


experience  nothing  but  crosses :  and  fearing  that  I  have 
already  fatigued  you  by  this  long  letter,  I  will  send 
the  rest  of  my  remonstrances  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mothe 
Fenelon,  and  present  my  humble  recommendations 
to  your  good  favor,praying  God  to  grant  you,  mad- 
am, good  health  and  a  long  and  very  happy  life. 
From  the  Castle  of  Chffeild,  the  W  February,  15T4. 
Your  very  affectionate  and  good  sister  and  cousin, 

"  Mary  E." 

Elizabeth,  in  return,  allowed  her  to  extend  her 
walks  into  the  park  and  gardens  of  Sheffield.  The 
humid  air  of  her  prison  had  induced  rheumatism  in 
her  arms,  and  she  was  wasted  with  a  liver-complaint, 
whose  symptoms  were  aggravated  by  her  incarcera- 
tion. According  to  her  request,  she  was  therefore 
permitted  to  visit  the  baths  of  Buxton,  not  far  from 
Sheffield ;  wdiere  she  relinquished  conspiracies  and 
dangerous  correspondence,  for  harmless  amusements. 
She  wTote  to  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow  two  or  three 
letters,  which  display  her  business  forethought  and 
new  employments : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  AECHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOW. 

"  May,  1574. 

"Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  None  of  my  subjects  or 
servants  has  a  greater  dislike  to  enter  into  disputes 
than  myself ;  yet  I  would  do  so  both  with  the  one  and 
the  other,  when  I  love  them  and  wish  to  make  use  of 
them,  communicating  my  will  and  what  I  think  it 
necessary  for  them  to  know,  in  order  to  dispose  them 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


333 


to  fulfill  it  voluntarily ;  on  the  other  hand,  as  far  as  lies 
in  my  power,  and  I  see  that  it  is  reasonable,  I  shall 
have  great  pleasure  in  gratifying  them  when  they  so- 
licit emolument,  honor,  and  advancement  of  me. 
As  I  perceive  from  your  letters  that  you  are  mistaken 
in  regard  to  my  last,  which  you  think  too  harsh,  this 
makes  me  write  to  you  in  the  style  of  a  mistress, 
purposely  that  you  may  not  doubt  that  all  they  con- 
tained was  according  to  my  command ;  for  I  never 
write  letters  that  others  dictate.  They  may,  indeed, 
prepare  them,  but  I  look  over  and  correct  them  if  they 
convey  not  my  meaning,  before  I  sign  them.  You 
cannot  harbor  this  doubt  in  the  present  instance,  for 
my  secretary  is  so  ill  that  I  am  obliged  to  write  all 
my  dispatches  with  my  own  hand ;  but  I  am  of  the 
same  opinion  as  he  who  writes  for  you,  whom  you 
will  command  to  write  in  milder  terms  another  time, 
for  I  do  not  wish  to  be  compelled  to  write  to  you 
otherwise  than  as  befitting  so  faithful  a  subject,  and 
a  minister  diligent  and  zealous  in  obeying  the  com- 
mands of  a  good  mistress,  and  to  remove  all  occasion 
for  doubt  or  ignorance,  or  discontent,  which  I  suspect 
some  ];)ersons  are  striving  to  put  into  your  head,  know- 
ing that  I  would  not  take  the  same  trouble  to  satisfy 
them  as  for  you,  whose  services  are  so  valuable  to  me. 

"  I  will  tell  you  w^hat  both  your  brothers  told  me 
to  write  to  you,  and  I  assure  you,  without  meaning  to 
ofi'end  you — that  you  may  believe  this  on  the  word 
of  her  whose  testimony  alone  ought  to  be  positive 
proof —  I  have  still  some  of  your  letters  which  I  re- 
ceived at  Winkfield  and  other  places,  in  which  you 


334: 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


informed  me  that  M.  the  cardinal  had  placed  the  sea's 
in  your  hands  until  I  should  appoint  a  chancellor, 
and  that  you  would  use  such  authority  in  the  hest 
manner  you  possibly  could  to  my  advantage,  hoping 
that,  whoever  succeeded  you,  he  would  find  his  road 
already  marked  out.  You,  at  the  same  time,  recom- 
mended to  me  a  brother-in-law,  or  some  other  rela- 
tion of  the  treasurer's,  and  Duvergier.  I  appointed 
Duvergier  on  this  condition  ;  that  he  should  reside  in 
Paris,  and  come  over  here  to  receive  my  orders  ;  fori 
should  have  been  vexed  had  it  been  given  to  any  one 
without  my  knowledge,  as  I  formerly  wrote  to  you. 
In  short,  you  never  expressed  a  wish  to  'me  to  keep 
the  seals  for  any  time,  or  led  me  to  suppose  you  would 
feel  gratified  by  having  them  given  to  you  ;  and  sure- 
ly, during  the  two  years  which  elapsed  between  my 
gift,  or  at  least  the  promise  by  letter  written  with  my 
own  hand  to  Duvergier,  and  his  entering  into  office, 
you  had  sufficient  time  to  let  me  know  if  you  wished 
for  the  appointment  or  not ;  for  I  assure  you  that  I 
should  have  preferred  you,  had  you  frankly  asked  me 
for  it ;  but  naturally  supposing  that  you  would  have 
expressed  your  wish  to  that  effect,  if  you  had  formed 
any,  I  did,  as  I  always  told  you  it  was  my  intention 
to  do,  appoint  a  chancellor,  and  I  am  sorry  you  should 
have  so  long  deferred  informing  me  of  your  dissatis- 
faction, for  which  there  is  no  remedy. 

"  As  to  what  you  tell  me  that  I  am  censured  for  it, 
inform  me  who  and  what,  for  it  is  your  duty,  and  not 
to  suffer  anything  to  be  said  in  your  presence  out  of 
pique  or  caprice  against  me,  and  I  will  let  them  know 


MART    QUEEN    OF  BOOTS. 


335 


what  I  think  of  it.  They  are  not  very  discreet  who 
wilfully  intermeddle,  and  try  to'  sow  discord  between 
an  old  experienced  minister  and  his  mistress,  who 
ought  to  understand  matters  better  than  they  do, 
clever  as  they  conceive  themselves  to  be.  Tell  them 
that,  whenever  I  shall  look  after  them,  their  bad  con- 
duct will  be  discovered ;  that  you  will  be  the  first  to 
expose  it,  and  then  each  must  answer  for  himself. 
As  for  yourself,  you  say  that  you  have  no  fear  of  being 
made  a  slave,  but  are  determined  to  follow  my  di- 
rections in  everything,  by  which  you  shall  not  lose 
either  profit,  honor,  or  advancement ;  for  you  shall 
be  preferred  to  every  one  whatsoever ;  and  in  future, 
whenever  you  have  any  desire  for  an  appointment  or 
other  favor,  be  not  afraid  to  let  me  know  it,  for  neith- 
er you  nor  any  other  person  shall  ever  have  anything 
in  my  gift  but  from  myself,  if  I  can  help  it ;  but,  if 
you  are  presented  with  anything  from  another  quarter, 
as  I  have  so  often  solicited,  I  shall  consider  myself 
greatly  obliged.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  the  appointment 
would  only  have  annoyed  you,  for  you  w^ould  have 
gained  nothing  but  ill-will,  if  you  had  said  absolutely 
that  you  would  follow  my  instructions  as  punctually 
as  I  wish ;  for  people  over  there  like  to  do  only  just 
what  they  please.  If  I  could  but  speak  to  you,  I 
would  soon  remove  any  unpleasant  impression  by  ex- 
plaining the  cause  of  my  dissatisfaction,  which  in  no 
way  concerns  you ;  nor  in  my  choice  of  chancellor 
has  any  person  a  right  to  find  fault  with  me,  or  to  ac- 
cuse me  of  monopoly,  as  you  say ;  but  I  hate  those 
whom  persons  over  there  would  wish  to  appoint, 


33G 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


tliough  no  one  was  officious  enough  to  propose  or  to 
persuade  me  otherwise  than  what  I  have  abeady 
written  to  you,  which  I  shall  not  repeat  —  and  this  is 
the  truth. 

"  I  have  been  informed  that,  as  soon  as  the  news 
was  known  that  Duvergier  had  a  passport  to  come  to 
me,  it  was  said  in  your  lodging  that  Koullet  had  ob- 
tained it  from  him  ;  wherein  he  was  unjustly  suspect- 
ed, for  the  poor  fellow  never  opened  his  moutli  to 
speak  to  me  concerning  it,  and  would  have  been  glad 
to  make  the  journey  himself,  if  possible,  feeling  him- 
self already  attacked  by  that  disorder  which  has  since 
reduced  him  to  his  present  state.  In  short,  it  was  my 
own  act  and  deed  ;  but  as  he  is  so  odious  to  you,  that 
you  have  refused  to  introduce  him,  as  I  requested,  I 
will  not  urge  you  further.  At  all  events,  he  will  not 
fail  to  side  with  you  as  I  have  commanded  him,  and 
to  take  your  advice  whenever  you  choose  to  give 
it.  I  never  intended  that  he  should  be  either  your 
superior  or  equal  in  the  council,  where,  in  the  absence 
of  my  uncle,  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  you,  as  my 
representative,  hold  the  first  place,  and  where  you 
are  invested  with  authority  to  see  to  it  that  my  afiairs 
are  conducted  according  to  my  orders,  which  I  am 
certain  you  will  implicitly  follow,  by  way  of  setting 
a  good  example,  more  especially  as  you  are  my  natu- 
ral subject.  I  beg,  therefore,  that  henceforth  I  may 
not  again  see  any  expressions  in  your  lettere  which 
savor  of  dispute  and  altercation,  nor  hear  any  more 
about  the  dissatisfaction  and  disgust  which  prevent 
you  from  fulfilling  the  duties  that  you  are  charged 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


337 


with,  as  my  present  situation  requires.  For  the  rest, 
if  tliere  are  any  who  murmur  at  mj  orders,  tell  them 
that  at  the  present  moment,  what  I  most  desire  in  my  af- 
fairs is,  to  know  those  who  are  disposed  to  obey  me,  that 
I  may  employ  them,  with  the  assured  intention  of  re- 
warding them ;  and  those  who  would  fain  manage  my 
affairs  according  to  their  own  fancy,  that  they  must 
change  their  conduct,  or  I  shall  persuade  myself  that 
it  is  not  so  much  for  my  interest  as  for  their  own,  that 
they  wish  to  serye  me.  I  want  to  see  if,  because  I 
am  absent  or  in  prison,  my  orders  are  to  be  slighted 
or  not,  and  I  am  willing  to  listen  to  the  opinions  of 
each,  in  order  to  follow  the  best  counsel,  which  God 
will  giye  me  grace  to  discern ;  but  whereyer  I  find 
any  confederacy  formed  to  counteract  my  intentions, 
I  shall  hold  as  suspicious  all  those  w^ho  belong  to 
it,  and  only  employ  such  as  pursue  a  different  course. 

"  I  haye  made  a  declaration  of  my  intentions,  in 
answer  to  the  replies  made  me  to  the  instructions  and 
estimates  which  I  gaye  to  my  chancellor.  I  send  it 
you  for  the  purpose  of  showing  and  making  it  known, 
as  herein  expressed ;  this  I  beg  you  to  do,  and  to  con- 
form to  my  wish,  which,  if  I  could  communicate  to 
you  in  any  other  way  than  openly,  you  would  approye 
of  it,  and  be  conyinced,  as  I  before  told  you,  that 
nothing  was  done  with  the  intention  of  disparaging 
your  faithful  and  agreeable  seryices.  I  would  most 
willingly  haye  sought  to  procure  permission  for  you 
to  come  oyer,  had  I  not  proof  that  it  would  be  de- 
nied me,  and  were  not  all  my  requests  yiewed  with 
more  and  more  suspicion.    I  will,  howeyer,  do  all  I 

O  22 


338 


MAKT    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


can,  and  I  beg  jou  will  do  the  same  on  your  part. 
As  for  the  money  which  you  delivered  to  the  English 
ambassador,  take  care  and  make  him  return  it,  and 
never  again  place  any  more  in  his  hands,  nor  anything 
else,  for  they  will  not  be  answerable  for  anything. 
If  my  servants  are  urgent  for  their  wages,  I  shall  be 
reduced  to  great  straits.  I  shall  soon  send  a  memoran- 
dum of  those  I  wish  to  be  paid,  the  same  as  they  were 
entered  in  my  estimate.  Look  to  this,  and  take  care 
that  the  assignations,  which  I  sent  by  Duvergier,  for 
wages  and  gifts  to  my  servants  here  with  me,  be  im- 
mediately dispatched  by  the  treasurer  before  anything 
else  ;  for  until  this  be  done,  I  will  not  either  give  to 
or  recompense  any  other,  excepting  the  person  to 
whom  the  Bishop  of  Ross  lent  a  hundred  crowns.  I 
am  very  sorry  that  they  have  not  been  better  satisfied, 
and  without  my  knowledge.  If  you  can  do  anything 
for  them,  I  will  most  willingly  allow  for  it,  rather 
than  remain  indebted  to  them  as  I  am.  I  recommend 
also  to  you,  old  Curie ;  he  is  an  old  and  faithful  ser- 
vant, and  his  son  is  faitliful  and  diligent  in  my  service. 
I  have  assigned  him  some  money,  to  be  employed  in 
the  way  that  he  knows  of  See  to  it  that  he  is  prompt- 
ly paid  ;  and,  if  opportunity  offers  of  providing  for 
any  of  his  children,  you  will  do  me  a  great  kindness 
by  seeking  the  means.  But  that  I  may  have  an  an- 
swer to  this  dispatch  how  my  servants  will  be  paid,  I 
will  send  a  list  of  those  whom  I  wish  to  be  paid  first 
in  France,  among  whom  I  shall  not  forget  your  ser- 
vants, particularly  the  good  old  man  Warkar,  whom 
I  have  known  for  a  very  long  time.    My  ecuyer  (h 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


339 


cuisine^  notwithstanding  all  the  orders  I  had  given 
him,  has  not  been  able  to  get  any  money.  I  beg  you, 
more  especially  as  I  have  recommended,  for  my  own 
safety,  to  be  cautious  in  regard  to  my  victuals,  to  let 
this  be  immediately  settled  ;  and  tell  Hoteman  to  re- 
ceive his  wages,  and  keep  them  for  my  sake ;  and 
speak  to  Cheminon,  and  inquire  if  there  be  any  means 
of  assisting  him  to  recover  part  of  his  money,  which 
was  received  but  mismanaged,  otherwise  it  will  be 
necessary  for  him  to  go  over  himself,  which  he  has 
already  asked  leave  of  me  to  do  ;  and  I  assure  you  I 
should  miss  him  very  much.  I  am  not  out  of  danger 
if  my  food  is  not  closely  watched,  and  he  is  the  only 
person  here  who  has  the  care  of  it ;  besides,  as  I  have 
no  apothecary,  he  makes  up  all  the  medicines  for  me 
and  my  household  ;  and  I  have  not  been  very  ill  since 
last  Lent,  when  I  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  cold 
and  want  of  exercise. 

"  Eoullet  has  sent  me  a  letter  from  Monsieur  de 
Flavigny,  which  I  have  read  ;  but,  as  the  said  RouUet 
cannot  answer  him,  I  beg  you  to  make  my  recom- 
mendations to  him,  and  to  assure  him  that  if  ever  I 
have  the  luck  to  recover  my  liberty,  I  shall  remind 
him  of  his  promise  to  be  a  courtier,  at  least  in  my 
company,  where  he  will  always  be  wished  for  and  wel- 
come, as  his  virtues  and  amiable  disposition  deserve. 
I  recommend  to  you  my  two  orphans,  Annibal  and 
"William  Douglas,  as  you  would  w^sh  me  to  do  for 
those  in  whom  you  are  interested.  I  am  writing  for 
some  articles  which  I  want ;  order  them  to  be  for- 
warded to  me  as  soon  as  possible,  and  money  for 


340 


MART    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


mj  household.  I  am  also  writing  to  monsieur,  my 
brother-in-law;  to  the  Queens  mesdames,  my  good 
mother  and  my  sister  ;  to  Monsieur  le  Due,  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Montmorency ;  deliver  my  letters  to  them,  and 
speak  to  them  in  behalf  of  Adam  Gordon,  to  obtain 
for  him  the  place  of  captain  in  the  Scotch  guards,  M. 
de  Losse  being  promoted  to  a  higher  situation.  You 
are  aware  how  highly  this  w^ould  gratify  me.  I  beg 
you  also  to  recommend  to  them  Lord  Walhton,  and 
render  him  all  the  service  you  can.  In  short,  I  beg 
you  to  solicit,  wherever  you  can,  for  the  good  treat- 
ment of  all  my  faithful  subjects  and  servants  in  France. 
If  I  had  the  means,  I  would  not  importune  the  King 
to  aid  them  ;  but  having  none,  I  cannot  have  recourse 
to  any  but  him,  in  virtue  of  the  ancient  alliance  be- 
tween our  countries,  and  the  honor  I  have  of  being 
his  sister.  I  beg,  also,  that  in  all  changes  and  new 
edicts,  you  will  not  be  afraid  to  require  that  there  be 
nothing  prejudicial  to  my  dowry,  as  in  the  case  of 
those  tabellionages^  and  solicit  the  aid  and  favor  of  M. 
the  Cardinal  of  Bourbon,  of  Montpensier,  and  of  M.  de 
Montmorency,  to  whom  I  wish  you  to  address  your- 
self as  familiarly  as  to  one  of  my  relations,  wherever 
you  shall  need  counsel  and  favor,  to  aid  you  in  re- 
monstrating about  my  affairs  in  that  quarter.  I  will 
pray  God  to  give  you.  Monsieur  de  Glascow,  health, 
and  a  long  and  happy  life. 

"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"Maey  K. 

"  I  beg  you  to  send  me  some  genuine  terra  sigillata, 
if  it  is  to  be  had  for  money  ;  if  not,  ask  M.  the  cardi- 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


S41 


nal,  my  uncle,  for  some  ;  or,  if  he  has  none,  '•atlier 
than  have  recourse  to  the  Queen,  my  mother-in-law, 
or  to  the  King,  a  bit  of  fine  unicorn's  horn,  as  I  am  in 
great  want  of  it.* 

"  From  what  I  have  heard,  you  have  misunderstood 
what  I  wrote  to  you,  for  I  never  said  that  your  broth- 
ers had  specially  solicited  me  to  take  the  seals  from 
you,  but  that  I  would  j^ermit  you  to  retire  altogether, 
which  I  refused  ;  and,  taking  of  the  seals,  they  always 
denied  that  it  was  a  thing  from  which  you  derived 
much  profit.  Your  brother  writes  to  you  as  if  he  had 
been  accused  of  having  done  you  some  ill  turn.  I  as- 
sure you,  and  can  testify,  that  he  never  thought  such 
a  thing  ;  but  he  and  your  deceased  brother  expressed 
themselves  to  me  in  the  terms  above-mentioned  ;  and 
about  this  you  may  satisfy  yourself  without  letting 
La  Landouse  and  such  like,  interfere  in  correcting  the 
Magnificat.  I  will  inform  you  particularly  of  every 
thing.  What  I  here  tell  you,  is  enough  to  satisfy  you 
that  I  have  done  nothing  to  cause  you  displeasure ; 
but  I  am  not  pleased  with  those  lawsuits,  carried  on 
where  every  one  must  be  a  judge,  and  in  the  end  I 
shall  grow  angry  with  them,  which  is  what  I  have  no 
wdsh  to  do.  Duvergier  had  my  letters  before  I  had 
let  you  know  that  I  had  given  him  them  ;  he  will 
show  them  to  you." 

*  The  superstitious  notions  of  those  days  attributed,  we  presume, 
extraordinary  virtues  to  tlie  imaginary  as  well  as  to  the  real  sub- 
stances for  which  the  Queen  writes  in  this  postscript. 


342 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 

"  June  9tli,  [1574.] 
"  Madam,  my  good  sister  —  as  you  have  been  pleas- 
ed to  intimate  to  Monsieur  de  la  Mothe  Fenelon,  am- 
bassador of  the  King,  monsieur  my  good  brother,  that 
you  were  gratified  by  the  liberty  which  I  took  to  pre- 
sent to  you,  through  him,  a  tricing  piece  of  my  work, 
1  cannot  refrain  from  assuring  you,  by  these  lines, 
how  happy  I  should  esteem  myself,  if  you  would  be 
pleased  to  permit  me  to  make  it  my  duty  to  recover 
by  any  means  whatever,  some  portion  of  your  good 
graces,  in  which  I  most  earnestly  wish  you  to  be 
pleased  to  aid  me  by  some  intimation  in  what  way 
you  think  I  can  gratify  and  obey  you ;  whenever  it  is 
your  pleasure,  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  give  you 
proofs  of  the  honor  and  friendship  I  bear  you.  I  was 
very  glad  that  you  were  pleased  to  accept  the  sweet- 
meats which  the  said  Sieur  de  la  Mothe  presented  to 
you  ;  I  am  now  writing  to  Duvergier,  my  chancellor, 
to  send  me  a  better  supply,  which  you  will  do  me  a -fa- 
vor in  making  use  of ;  and  would  to  God  that  you  would 
accept  my  services  in  more  important  things,  in  which 
I  should  show  such  readiness  to  please,  that,  in  a  short 
time,  you  would  have  a  better  opinion  of  me;  in  the 
meantime,  I  will  wait  patiently  for  some  favorable 
news  from  you,  which  I  have  been  expecting  for  sucli 
a  long  time.  And  that  I  may  not  be  troublesome,  I 
will  communicate  what  I  have  further  to  say  through 
Monsieur  de  la  Mothe,  being  assured  that  you  will 
not  credit  him  less  than  myself ;  and  having  kisstd 
your  hands,  I  pray  God  to  grant  you,  madam,  my 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 


343 


good  sister,  liealtli  and  a  long  and  liappy  life.  From 
Sheffield,  this  ixth  of  June. 

"  Your  very  affectionate  sister  and  cousin, 

"Mary  E." 

the  queen  of  scots  to  the  aechbishop  of  glasgow. 

"  From  Sheffield,  the  9th  of  July,  [1574.] 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  I  have  nothing  particular 
to  say  at  present,  except  that,  thank  God,  I  am  in  bet- 
ter health  than  I  was  before  using  the  baths,  and 
when  I  last  wrote  you.  I  beg  you  will  procure  for 
me  some  turtle  doves,  and  some  Barbary  fowls.  I 
wish  to  try  if  I  can  rear  them  in  this  country,  as  your 
brother  told  me  that,  when  he  was  with  you,  he  had 
raised  some  in  a  cage,  as  also  some  red  partridges  ; 
and  send  me,  by  the  person  who  brings  them  to  Lon- 
don, instructions  how  to  manage  them.  I  shall  take 
great  pleasure  in  rearing  them  in  cages,  which  1  ^o 
all  sorts  of  little  birds  I  can  meet  with.  This  will  be 
amusement  for  a  prisoner,  particularly  since  there  are 
none  in  this  country,  as  I  wrote  to  you  not  long  ago. 
Pray  see  to  it,  that  my  directions  be  complied  with, 
and  I  will  pray  God  to  have  you  in  his  keeping. 
"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"Mary  R.» 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  SAME. 

"From  Sheffield,  the  18th  July,  [1574.] 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  M.  de  la  Mothe  Fenelon, 
ambassador  of  the  King,  monsieur,  my  brother,  hav- 
ing given  me  the  mournful  intelligence  of  the  decease 


34:4:  MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

of  the  said  prince,^  whom  God  absolve,  you  ma/ 
imagine  the  grief  I  felt  for  the  loss  of  so  good  a  brother 
and  friend ;  and  if  I  had  sooner  had  the  means,  I 
should  have  commanded  you  to  go  to  visit  and  con- 
dole, in  my  name,  with  the  Queen-madam,  my  good 
mother,  and  with  the  Queens,  my  good  sisters,  which 
I  am  sure  you  have  not  failed  to  do,  so  well  knowing 
my  intentions  ;  and  having  since  heard  lately,  from 
the  said  M.  de  la  Mothe  Fenelon,  that  there  are  hopes 
at  present,  of  the  return  of  the  King,  monsieur  my 
good  brother,  to  his  kingdom,  I  would  not  omit  wri- 
ting this  letter,  which  I  shall  desire  him  to  send  you, 
for  the  purpose  of  informing  you  of  my  intention, 
w^hich  is  that,  on  his  arrival,  you  go  to  meet  and  re- 
ceive him,  performing,  in  my  name,  such  offices  as  are 
required  of  a  good  sister  and  ally,  deliver  the  letters 
wliich  I  have  written  to  him,  and  assuring  him  of  the 
good  will  which  you  know  I  have  always  borne,  both 
toward  the  late  King  and  himself ;  and,  if  you  have 
opportunity,  recommend  me  and  my  affairs  to  him, 
and  to  the  Queen,  my  good  mother,  also,  to  whom  I 
am  now  writing,  as  also  to  the  Queen,  my  good  sister, 
and  to  MM.,  my  uncles. 

"As  for  my  health,  it  is,  thank  God,  rather  better 
than  before  I  went  to  the  baths.  I  have  written  more 
particularly  to  the  said  Sieur  de  la  Mothe,  who,  I  am 
sure,  will  have  apprized  them  of  it.  For  the  rest,  I 
beg  you  to  take  care  to  get  me  an  ample  rej)ly  to  my 
dispatch  of  the  8th  of  May,  and  that  the  memorials 
which  I  sent  them,  and  since,  be  dispatched,  and  the 

•Charles  IX.,  who  died  the  31st  of  May,  1574. 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  34:5 

Biibstance  sent  to  M.  de  la  Motlie,  to  be  forwarded  to 
me.  K  it  please  the  Queefi  of  England,  madam  my 
good  sister,  to  permit  you,  I  sliould  be  glad  if  you 
would  soon  send  some  one  to  pay  my  household,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  let  me  know,  in  reply,  what  you  have 
to  say  about  such  of  my  aifairs  as  remain  to  be  settled, 
and  to  assist  me  in  remodeling  my  estimates  ;  for,  as 
for  Roullet,  he  has  been  twice  on  tlie  point  of  death 
within  the  last  fortnight,  and  it  will  be  a  long  time 
before  he  can  assist  me  again,  if  he  should  recover, 
of  which  I  see  no  great  likelihood,  being  decidedly 
consumptive,  or  I  am  much  mistaken,  for  he  has  a 
continual  wheezing,  and  is  quite  bent.  Still,  he  says 
he  is  very  well,  and  even  within  the  last  two  days, 
told  me  he  was  sure  he  should  get  better.  At  any 
rate,  it  would  be  well  if  M.  the  cardinal,  my  uncle, 
would  provide  a  person  to  take  his  place,  his  health 
being  very  precarious,  and  the  least  thing  causes  a  re- 
lapse ;  and  let  me  know  his  name,  and  as  much  as  you 
can  of  his  disposition  ;  for  it  is  necessary  to  have  pa- 
tient and  peaceable  persons  among  prisoners,  who 
have  not  all  the  comforts  they  wish  ;  and,  above  all, 
he  must  not  be  partial  in  his  service,  otherwise  it 
would  occasion  me  more  trouble  than  ease,  and  have 
no  need  of  that,  having  had  enough  of  it  already. 

"  If,  in  traveling  to  meet  the  King,  or,  for  other  ex- 
penses coimected  with  this  matter,  you  have  need  of 
some  consideration,  I  should  be  glad  if  M.,  the  cardi- 
nal, would  allow  something  extra,  only  apprising  me 
of  it.  I  shall  approve  of  it,  for  I  know  you  are  fre- 
quently in  need  of  aid,  and  have  no  desire  that  you 
O* 


U6 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


should  remain  beliindliaiid,  any  more  than  get  on  too 
fast.  On  the  first  opportunity,  I  will  recommend  you 
to  the  King,  and  renew  my  former  request  for  you  ; 
meanwhile,  be  careful  that  all  my  afiairs  are  conduct- 
ed according  to  my  orders. 

"  Should  you  be  permitted  to  send  me  some  one 
with  my  accounts,  send  me,  by-and-by,  Jean  de  Com- 
peigne,  and  let  him  bring  me  patterns  of  dresses,  and 
of  cloth  of  gold  and  silver,  and  of  silks,  the  handsomest 
and  the  rarest  that  are  worn  at  court,  in  order  to  learn 
my  2)leasure  about  them.  Order  Poissy  to  make  me 
a  couple  of  head-dresses,  with  a  crown  of  gold  and 
silver,  such  as  were  formerly  made  for  me  ;  and  Bro- 
tan  to  remember  his  promise,  and  to  procure  for  me 
from  Italy  some  new  fashions  of  head-dresses,  vails, 
and  ribbons  with  gold  and  silver,  and  I  will  reimburse 
him  for  whatever  these  may  cost  him. 

"  You  must  not  forget  the  birds,  about  which  I  late- 
ly wrote  to  you,  and  communicate  the  contents  of  this 
letter  to  messieurs,  my  imcles,  and  beg  them  to  let  me 
have  a  share  of  the  new  things  which  fall  to  them,  as 
they  do  by  my  cousins ;  for,  though  I  do  not  wear 
such  myself,  they  will  be  put  to  a  better  pui-pose. 
And  to  conclude,  I  will  jDray  God  to  grant  you,  M.  de 
Glascow,  a  long  and  happy  life. 

"  You  must  not  fail  to  call,  in  my  name,  on  M.  and 
Madame  de  Lorraine,  and  apologize  for  my  not  writing 
to  them  at  present,  for  w^ant  of  leisure.  I  do  not 
doubt  that  they  will  act  towards  me  as  a  kind  brother 
and  sister,  having  been  brought  up  with  them  from 
my  youth,  ant  I  being  one  of  their  house.    Do  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


347 


same  by  mj  good  sister,  tlie  Queen  of  Kavarre,  and 
remember  me  to  all  my  felations  and  friends ;  but 
more  especially  to  my  uncle,  Monsieur  tlie  Cardinal 
de  Bourbon,  and  to  my  brother,  the  grand  prior,  to 
whom  I  have  not  time  to  write  at  present,  so  he  never 
writes  to  me  but  for  payment,  and  on  behalf  of  his 
servants,  at  least,  it  is  a  long  time  since  he  did.  Re- 
member me,  likewise,  to  M.  and  Madame  de  Y aude- 
niont,  and  M.  and  Madame  de  ITemours,  and  De  Ise- 
vers,  and  do  not  forget  my  cousin  Du  Maine,  and  his 
brother. 

"  Serves  de  Conde,  an  old  and  faithful  servant,  has 
complained  to  me  of  having  been  forgotten  in  the  es- 
timates for  some  years.  I  desire  that  he  and  his  wife 
be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  list ;  in  the  meantime, 
I  have  given  him  an  order,  which  I  beg  you  will  see 
is  paid  him.  Tell  M.,  the  cardinal,  to  furnish  him 
with  money  to  go  to  Scotland  to  take  an  inventory  of 
the  furniture  which  was  in  his  keeping  there,  and  to 
bring  a  certificate  of  what  is  wanting,  who  has  it,  and 
on  what  account  he  delivered  it  to  them,  and  likewise 
testimonials  from  M.  and  Madame  de  Huthed,  Lady 
Ledington,  and  Lord  Seton,  to  whom  he  may  deliver 
all  that  he  can  recover  ;  and  if  I  learn  from  you,  on 
his  return,  that  he  has  rendered  a  good  account,  and 
arranged  matters  well  for  the  future,  I  will  take  such 
steps  as,  with  your  approbation,  I  may  see  fit,  for 
keeping  his  son-in-law,  or  some  other  person  there,  as 
may  be  found  most  convenient. 

Your  very  kind  friend  and  mistress, 

"  Mary  R. 


348 


MARY    QUKEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Eeniember  me  to  the  Bishop  of  Eoss  —  I  have 
nothing  to  write  to  him  about  at  present." 

When  Mary  learned  that  Elizabeth  kindly  accepted 
the  gifts  of  her  tasteful  hand,  she  addressed  her  in  a 
grateful  mood : 

"  Madame,  my  good  sister,  since  it  has  pleased  you 
to  receive  so  graciously  from  Monsieur  de  la  Mothe 
the  little  things  which  I  took  the  liberty  to  send  you 
by  him,  I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  to  you  how 
happy  I  shall  feel,  when  it  pleases  yoit.to  allow  me  to 
endeavor,  by  all  means,  to  regain  some  part  of  your 
favor,  to  do  which  I  greatly  desire  you  to  have  the 
goodness  to  aid  me,  by  informing  me  of  the  matters 
in  wdiich  I  can  please  and  obey  you." 

She  also  wrote  the  French  ambassador :  "I  feel 
the  greatest  satisfaction  at  the  news  you  give  me,  that 
it  has  pleased  the  Queen,  my  good  sister,  to  accept 
my  tablets  ;  for  I  desire  nothing  so  much  as  to  be  able 
always  to  please  her,  in  the  least  as  well  as  in  the 
most  important  affairs,  and  I  do  this  in  the  hope  of 
recovering  her  favor,  in  the  first  place,  and  then  I  do 
not  doubt  of  her  goodness  in  all  the  rest.  I  am  desi- 
rous to  make*  her  a  head-dress  as  soon  as  I  can,  but  1 
have  so  few  women  to  assist  me  in  delicate  needle- 
work, that  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  it  ready  yet. 
If  you  think  some  articles  of  network  would  please 
her  better  than  anything  else,  I  will  make  them. 
Meanwhile,  I  beg  you  to  get  for  me  some  gold  lace 
ornamented  with  silver  spangles,  the  best  and  most 
delicate  that  you  can,  and  to  send  me  six  yards  of  it, 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


349 


and  twenty  yards  of  double  lace,  or  else  narrow  good 
lace." 

Mary  was  subdued,  and  pity  was  the  highest  hom- 
age awarded  the  abject  Queen.  The  troubler  of  mon- 
archs,  —  the  beautiful  conspirator,  whose  plots  shook 
kingdoms,  has  stooped  to  play  the  milliner  to  her  im- 
perious rival. 

The  correspondence  with  the  Archbishop  of  Glas- 
gow was  filial  and  frank,  when  private.  She  wrote 
tenderly  after  the  death  of  her  secretary,  RouUet : 

"  From  Sheffield,  the  4th  of  September,  1574. 
"Monsieur  de  Glascow,  it  pleased  God  to  take 
Eoullet,  my  secretary,  out  of  this  wretched  life  into 
his  glory,  on  the  last  day  but  one  of  August,  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  so  suddenly,  that  when  I 
sent  to  inquire  after  him,  as  was  my  custom  every 
morning,  he  was  breathing  his  last,  so  that  he  said  no- 
thing when  dying,  about  what  he  had  requested  of  me 
before.  I  have  set  down  what  he  said,  as  nearly  as  I 
can  recollect,  in  a  letter  to  M.  Ferrarius,  and  to  Ilote- 
man  ;  which  you  will  ask  to  see,  and  solicit  them  to 
accept  the  duty  he  has  bequeathed  them,  and  let  me 
know  whether  they  will  fulfill  it.  He  has  left  me  the 
five  thousand  francs,  which  I  lately  made  him  a  pres- 
ent of,  saying  that  he  had  sufiicient  to  fulfill  his  last 
wishes.  You  must  inquire  respecting  this,  and,  if  you 
find  it  to  be  so,  withdraw  the  said  sum  from  Hoteman, 
or  from  the  treasurer,  because  one  or  the  other  has 
received  it  for  him,  and  which  you  can  retain  until 


350 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


you  hear  my  further  intentions.  Make  diligent  in- 
quiry for  some  one  to  serve  me  as  secretary,  and  send 
him  to  me  as  early  as  possible ;  for  I  must  not  act 
any  longer  in  this  capacity,  unless  I  wish  to  kill 
myself. 

"  I  beg  you  to  inform  my  treasurer  that  I  am  dis- 
pleased, because  my  officers  here,  with  the  exception 
of  one  or  two,  are  not  paid  according  to  the  order  I 
gave  him  ;  and  those  whom  he  has  paid,  at  least  Du 
Cartel,  my  surgeon,  tells  me  that  he  has  reckoned 
the  crown  at  sixty  sous.  Inquire  if  that  is  the  value 
of  it,  for,  if  he  wrongs  my  servants  to  make  a  profit 
by  them,  I  will  not  suffer  it.  lie  has  had  sufficient 
profit  by  holding  their  wages  from  them  for  so  long  a 
time  after  they  were  due,  and  in  only  paying  those 
Avhom  he  pleased  ;  though  there  was  no  need  for  it, 
because  they  compounded  with  him  for  one  half,  as 
Chateaudum  was  in  the  habit  of  doing  with  my  offi- 
cers.   Dolu  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  paid  all ;  but  I 

see  to  the  contrary :   he  has  no  for 

he  confesses,  himself,  that  he  is  in  my  debt.  I  beg 
you  will  show  him  that  part  of  my  letter  which  re- 
lates to  him,  or  let  him  know  that  I  am  extremely 
displeased,  as  he  shall  find,  if  he  does  not  endeavor 
to  satisfy  my  poor  servants  who  are  about  me,  and 
those  who  are  recommended  to  me.  I  beg  you  will 
see  that  nothing  further  be  done  contrary  to  my  in- 
structions. Eoullet  is  dead ;  they  can  no  longer  sus- 
pect that  it  is  he  who  puts  this  into  my  i  sad  ;  and, 
as  for  Duvergier,  he  never  spoke  to  me  about  him ; 
but  I  insist  that  he  and  all  others  obey  me  and  fol- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


351 


low  my  orders,  let  tliem  displease  wliom  they  will ; 
and,  as  I  am  in  expectation  of  yom-  general  dispatch, 
I  will  not  say  more  at  present,  but  desire  you  to  beg 
the  cardinal,  my  uncle,  not  to  permit  any  more  money 
to  be  spent  in  the  suit  with  Secondat ;  for  1  tell  you 
plainly,  that  I  will  give  it  up,  rather  than  lay  out  an- 
other farthing  upon  it,  let  my  counsel  think  what 
tliey  please,  unless  they  make  it  aj)pear  that  there 
is  a  better  prospect  than  I  see  at  present.  As  far  as 
I  can  learn,  the  six  thousand  francs  are  to  be  follow- 
ed by  more  ;  I  set  my  face  against  it ;  show  this  to 
my  said  uncle,  that  he  may  forbid  them  to  proceed 
further  without  his  consent. 

"  I  have  received  a  letter  from  Saint  Cheran,  apply- 
ing for  the  situation  of  his  brother,  who  is  in  Cham- 
pagne. Tell  him  that,  having  seen  the  dispatch,  by- 
and-by,  according  as  he  behaves  himself,  if  he  treads 
in  the  steps  of  his  brother,  and  relies  on  me  only,  I 
will  willingly  comply  with  his  request,  and  take  him 
into  my  service,  for  I  insist  that  my  officers,  especially 
those  w^ho  are  here  with  me,  depend  entirely  upon 
me,  and  no  other  person.  If  any  should  urge  my 
chancellor  to  do  any  act  without  first  consulting  me, 
I  beg  you  will  take  care  that  he  refuses,  until  my  in- 
tention be  known,  for  that  w^as  the  principal  reason 
why  I  took  him,  and  that  he  should  depend  on  none 
but  me.  In  so  doing,  I  beg,  as  you  love  me,  to  sup- 
port him,  for  I  am  resolved  to  be  obeyed. 

"  For  the  rest,  present  my  humble  remembrances 
to  the  King,  M.  my  good  brother,  and  to  the  Queen, 
my  good  mother,  and  beg  them  to  command  that  all 


352 


MAKY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


privileges  and  things  in  my  gift  may  be  reserved  for 
me,  and  not  given  away,  as  they  have  been  for  some 
years  past,  under  the  name  of  grants  from  the  King. 
Remember  me  to  Messrs.,  my  uncles,  to  my  cousins, 
and  to  all  my  kind  relations  and  friends,  and  take  care 
to  send  your  dispatch  by  a  trusty  person,  and  furnish- 
ed with  a  safe  passport  for  what  I  want,  as  all  the 
letters  of  Senlis  were  taken  from  him.  After  sin- 
cerely recommending  myself  to  your  remembrance,  I 
'  pray  God  to  have  you  in  his  holy  and  wortliy 
keeping. 

"  I  beg  you  will  desire  my  treasurer  to  pay  the 
money  as  soon  as  possible  to  old  Curie,  for  I  fear  that 
the  assignment  will  be  at  a  long  date,  and  that  he  has 
great  need  of  it  for  his  poor  motherless  children.  I 
recommend  him  to  you.  I  have  not  leisure  to  reply 
to  the  requests  of  "Walker,  nor  have  I  a  creature  to 
assist  me  ;  tell  them  they  shall  not  be  forgotten,  nor 
yet  the  young  lady  who  was  to  have  come  with  Ral- 
lay,  who,  perhaps,  some  day  may  be  in  my  service. 
"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  friend, 

"  Mary  R. 

"Apprise  M.,  the  cardinal,  that  if  any  one  speaks 
to  him  for  the  situation  of  maitre  d'hote!^  held  by  the 
late  Esguilli,  he  must  not  promise  it,  for  I  intend  to 
make  alterations  in  my  household,  and  to  have  this 
situation  abolished,  as  I  have,  likewise,  resolved  to  do 
in  regard  to  many  others,  as  they  become  vacant.  I 
shall  do  the  same  with  Roullet's  pension,  leaving  only 
the  wages  of  a  secretary  for  another  in  his  j)lace,  and 
I  will  not  permit  anj  persons  to  be  placed  over  there 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


353 


on  my  list  without  my  knowledge,  or  I  shall  strike 
them  out. 

"  Do  not  forget  my  humble  remembrances  to  Mad- 
ame, my  grandmother.  Eoullet  has  left  letters  which 
he  wrote  to  you,  without  addressing  them,  to  M.  do 
Koss  and  to  M.  the  cardinal,  whom  I  ought  to  have 
mentioned  first ;  I  shall  reserve  them  for  better  op- 
]3ortunity,  as  they  are  not  important,  being  merely  on 
the  matter  concerning  which  he  conceived  himself  to 
be  suspected  over  there.  Remember  me  to  M.  de 
Ross,  to  whom  I  have  not  leisure  to  write  at  present." 

A  few  weeks  after  she  expressed  her  interest  in  the 
trifles  which  beguiled  her  solitary  hours,  and  com- 
mends a  friend  in  France,  to  his  regard  : 

"Sheffield,  the  13th  JSTovember,  [15Y4.J 
"  M.  de  Glascow  —  having  received  the  sweetmeats 
by  the  hands  of  the  bearer,  the  brother  of  my  chan- 
cellor, Durvergier,  I  have  thought  it  right  to  give  you 
a  line  by  him,  merely  to  tell  you  that  I  am  well, 
thank  God,  and  waiting  for  my  secretary,  and  if  you 
do  not  make  haste  and  send  him,  you  will  hear  no 
more  from  me,  for  so  much  writing  makes  me  ill. 
Till  then,  I  shall  not  write  to  you  about  business ; 
but  do  not  forget,  as  you  are  so  often  at  Lyons,  to  send 
my  little  dogs.  For  the  rest,  Madame  de  Briante  has 
returned  into  France,  where  she  is  likely  to  have  a 
great  deal  to  do,  especially  with  her  brother-in-law, 
respecting  her  dowry.  If  she  has  need  of  my  inter- 
est with  him,  or  with  any  other,  or  with  those  of  tho 

23 


354:  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

law,  I  beg  you  to  do  all  in  your  power  to  assist  lier, 
and  to  request  M.  the  cardinal,  my  uncle,  to  do  what 
he  can  for  her  in  all  her  affairs ;  and,  if  she  needs 
letters  of  recommendation  from  him,  or  from  any  of 
my  relatives  or  kindred,  you  must  procure  them  for 
her  in  my  name,  with  leave  of  my  said  uncle ;  so  that, 
if  she  has  occasion  to  solicit  the  settlement  of  her 
suits  in  Paris,  he  may,  for  my  sake,  accommodate  her 
with  apartments  in  some  one  of  his  houses,  that  may 
be  most  suitable.  She  is  an  excellent  and  virtuous 
lady,  and  an  old  servant  of  the  late  Queen,  my  mo- 
ther, and  of  myself,  and  her  daughter  is  daily  render- 
ing me  most  agreeable  service.  But  you  are  so  well 
acquainted  with  her  merits  and  virtues,  that  I  shall 
not  make  this  letter  any  longer,  unless  to  pray  God, 
after  recommending  myself  to  your  good  graces,  to 
grant  you,  M.  de  Glascow,  health  and  a  long  and 
happy  life. 

"  Your  very  good  friend  and  mistress, 

"MaeyE." 

Henry  III.  ascended  the  throne  of  France,  and  the 
captive  felt  a  rising  hope  in  his  reputed  bravery  and 
devotion  to  Popery.  But  he  soon  blasted  the  expect- 
ation, by  his  characterless,  undecided  reign.  Deatli 
robbed  her,  at  this  time,  of  a  faithful  ally.  Tidings 
that  Cardinal  Lorraine  was  no  more,  reached  the  dis- 
consolate Queen.  I^^^ot  hearing  immediately  from  the 
archbishop  on  the  subject,  she  wrote  him,  complain- 
ing of  neglect: 


MAEY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


355 


"From  Sheffield,  20tli  February,  [1575.] 
"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  I  am  much  astonished 
that,  on  so  melancholy  event,  I  have  neither  received 
information  nor  consolation  from  you.  I  cannot  at- 
tribute this  to  anything  but  the  extreme  sorrow  you 
feel  for  the  loss  I  have  sustained :  yet  God  be  praised, 
if  he  sends  me  afflictions,  he  has,  thus  far,  given  me 
grace  to  support  them.  Though  I  cannot,  at  the  first 
moment,  command  my  feelings,  or  prevent  the  tears 
that  will  flow,  yet  my  long  adversity  has  taught  me 
to  hope  for  consolation  for  all  my  afflictions  in  a  bet- 
ter life.  Alas  !  I  am  a  prisoner,  and  God  has  bereft 
me  of  one  of  those  persons  whom  I  most  loved  ;  what 
shall  I  say  more  ?  He  has  bereft  me,  at  one  blow,  of 
my  father  and  my  uncle  ;  I  shall  now  follow  whenev- 
er he  pleases,  with  less  regret ;  but  yet,  instead  of 
comforting  me,  do  not  distress  yourself  too  much  on 
my  account,  lest  I  might  be  deprived  of  a  good 
and  faithful  servant,  which,  I  feel  assured,  I  have 
in  you." 

Mary  Stuart  still  looked,  with  faint  anticipation  of 
aid,  to  Philip  IT.,  and  resumed  correspondence  re- 
specting an  invasion  of  England.  Her  failing  health 
and  perils,  drew  forth  the  following  singular  and  un- 
natural disposal  of  her  son,  quoted  from  a  message 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow  : 

"  In  order  not  to  contravene  the  glory,  honor,  and 
preservation  of  the  Catholic,  Apostolic,  and  Roman 
church,  in  which  I  wish  to  live  and  die,  if  the  prince 


356 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


of  Scotland,  my  son,  shall  be  brought  back  to  its 
creed  in  spite  of  the  bad  education  he  has  received, 
to  my  great  regret,  in  the  heresy  of  Calvin,  among 
my  rebellious  subjects,  I  leave  him  the  sole  and  only 
heir  of  my  kingdom  of  Scotland,  and  of  the  right 
which  I  justly  claim  to  the  crown  of  England  and  its 
dependent  countries  ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  my 
said  son  continues  to  live  in  the  said  heresy,  I  yield 
and  transfer  and  present  all  my  rights  in  England  and 
elsewhere  ...  to  the  Catholic  King,  or  any  of 
his  relations  whom  he  may  ]3lease,  with  the  advice 
and  consent  of  his  Holiness ;  and  I  do  this,  not  only 
because  I  perceive  him  to  be  now  the  only  true  sup- 
porter of  the  Catholic  religion,  but  also  out  of  grati 
tude  for  the  many  favors  which  I  and  my  friends, 
recommended  by  me,  have  received  from  him  in  my 
greatest  necessity,  and  furthermore,  out  of  respect  to 
the  rights  which  he  may  himself  possess  to  the  said 
kingdoms  and  countries.  I  beseech  him,  in  return, 
to  make  alliance  with  the  house  of  Lorraine,  and,  if 
possible,  with  that  of  Guise,  in  memory  of  the  race 
from  which  I  am  sprung  on  my  mother's  side." 

A  part  of  Mary's  correspondence  during  the  years 
1579-80,  will  afford  a  glance  at  her  somewhat  monot- 
onous life  : 

THE  QUEEN  OP  SCOTS  TO  THE  AECHBISHOP  OF  GLASGOTV. 

"June  2i,  1579. 
"Mon's  de  Glascow  —  Owino;  to  the  absence  of 
Nau,  who  set  out  a  fortnight  ago  for  Scotland,  on  a 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


357  ' 


visit  to  mj  son,'^  and  to  my  having  been  rather  indis- 
posed—  many  thanks  to  Du  Yal,  whom  I  expected 
here  to  physic  (purger)  me  for  this  whole  summer  ■ — 
I  could  not  give  an  earlier  answer  to  your  last  letters. 
I  shall  therefore  begin  by  requesting  you  to  put  the 
irons  in  the  fire  again,  and  try  to  find  me  another 
physician  who  is  not  a  deceiver,  and  make  Lusgeri 
do  the  same  ;  and,  meanwhile,  give  me  your  opinion 
of  any  who  may  ofi'er  themselves.  I  have  ordered 
Duvergier,  my  chancellor,  if  he  know^s  of  any  person, 
to  send  him  to  you,  so  that  you  may  speak  to  him, 
and  be  able  to  give  me  your  opinion.  I  fear  he  will 
find  work  cut  out  for  him,  as  I  begin  to  be  unwell, 
and  am  sufiering  from  what  I  have  not  had  for  a  long 
time — a  very  bad,  dry  cough.  I  am  glad  that  you 
have  gone  to  the  baths  for  the  benefit  of  your  he.Jth, 
but  am  sorry  that  you  could  not  be  present,  according 
to  my  desire,  at  the  rendering  of  the  acounts  of  Dolu, 
my  treasurer.  I  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  inform  you, 
whom  I  intend  to  appoint  in  his  place.  As  to  the 
afiair  of  Madam  de  Humieres,  you  will  do  well  to 
make  inquiry  about  it,  for  I  think  it  a  sad  thing  that 
the  fief  should  be  so  much  diminished,  since  she  herself 
wrote  to  me,  at  her  leisure,  respecting  it.  Touching 
the  request  of  your  secretary,  I  cannot,  for  several 
reasons,  comply  with  it  at  present.    I  beg  you,  on 

*  "About  this  time,  Mary  sent  by  Nau,  her  secretary,  a  letter  to 
her  son,  together  with  some  jewels  of  value,  and  a  vest,  embroi- 
dered with  her  own  hand.  But,  as  she  gave  him  only  the  title  of 
Prince  of  Scotland,  the  messenger  was  dismissed  without  being 
admitted  into  his  presence." — Robertson's  Hist,  of  Scotl.  b.  vi. 


358 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


your  return,  to  give  me  a  full  account  of  the  state  of 
my  affairs,  and  to  look  well  after  them  ;  and,  in  re- 
turn, I  hope  to  be  able,  on  the  arrival  of  IS'au,  to  inform 
you  of  that  of  your  old  mistress  and  your  young 
master.  So  the  latter  be  but  satisfactory,  the  former 
cannot  be  otherwise.  And,  in  this  place,  after  hear- 
tily commending  myself  to  you,  I  pray  God  to  give 
you,  M.  de  Glascow,  a  long  and  happy  life. 
"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  best  friend, 

"Mary  K." 

the  queen  of  scots  to  the  aechbishop  of  glasgow. 

"  BuxTON,  August  10,  1579. 

"  Monsieur  de  Glascow  —  As  the  indisposition  of 
NsLW  prevents  me  from  giving  you  a  detailed  answer 
to  your  preceding  letters,  I  write  in  the  meantime  to 
inform  you  of  my  arrival  at  the  baths,  and  of  tlie 
benefit  I  have  derived  from  them  in  relieving  the  in- 
veterate pain  in  my  side.  As  ill  luck  would  have  it, 
at  Sheffield,  those  who  were  assisting  me  to  mount 
my  horse,  let  me  fall  backward  on  the  steps  of  the 
door,  from  which  I  received  so  violent  a  blow  on  the 
spine  of  the  back,  that,  for  some  days  past,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  hold  myself  upright.  I  hope,  howev- 
er, with  the  good  remedies  which  I  have  employed,  to 
be  quite  well  before  I  leave  this  place.  We  have  not 
been  wholly  free  from  the  epidemic  disorder ;  but  it  has 
been  much  more  violent  among  the  people  of  the 
country  than  those  of  my  household,  not  one  of  which 
is  now,  thank  God,  affected  by  it. 

"  Do  not  fail  to  send  me  all  the  things  which  I  di- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


359 


rected  you,  notwithstanding  tlie  danger  that  you  tell 
me  you  apprehend  on  your  side  of  the  water,  and 
which  is  not  less  here,  and  write  to  me  an  all  occa- 
sicns,  according  to  the  opportunity  you  have.  Where- 
upon, I  pray  God  to  have  you,  M.  de  Glascow,  in  his 
holy  keeping. 

"  Your  very  good  mistress  and  best  friend, 

"Mary  E." 

the  queen  of  scots  to  m.  de  mauvissiere. 

'Monsieur  de  Mauvissiere  —  Having  purchased 
two  beautiful  rare  nags  for  my  cousin,  Monsieur  de 
Guise,  it  was  my  intention  to  have  immediately  sent 
them  both  in  charge  of  the  bearer,  who  is  obliged  to 
return  to  France  with  his  wife,  for  the  cure  of  a  dis- 
order with  which  she  has  been  afflicted  ever  since  last 
winter.  But  one  of  the  said  horses  having  been  ailing 
{forbeu)  for  the  last  seven  or  eight  days,  I  thought  it 
advisable  not  to  miss  this  opportunity,  nor  the  season, 
for  sending  the  other,  which  I  have  given  in  charge 
to  the  groom,  who  has  for  some  time  past  had  it  under 
his  particular  care,  and  I  have  given  him  strict  orders 
to  tal^e  it  to  your  house ;  and  you  will  oblige  me  to 
let  it  be  led  by  one  of  your  grooms,  to  my  ambas^dor, 
in  order  that  he  may  present  it,  in  my  name,  to  my 
said  cousin,  and  to  pay  my  expctises  incurred.  I 
think  you  will  have  no  difficulty  about  his  journey, 
with  the  passport  which  it  will  be  necessary  to  obtain 
for  the  purpose,  any  more  than  for  that  of  any  of  my 
said  officers  ;  I  shall,  therefore,  not  give  you  any  more 
particular  directions  on  the  subject,  praying  God, 


360  MARY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS 


Monsieur  de  Mauvissiere,  to  have  you  in  Lis  holy  and 
worthy  care.  Written  at  the  manor  of  Sheffield,  the 
iii.  day  of  September,  1580. 

"  Your  very  obliged  and  best  friend, 

"Mary  K." 


Morton,  Kegent  of  Scotland,  had  for  five  years  ruled 
wisely  over  the  realm.  Commerce  prospered  in  the 
universal  peace,  and  the  transforming  progress  in  ev- 
ery branch  of  national  prosperity,  was  the  theme  of 
eulogy  with  foreign  ambassadors.  The  fruits  of  a 
Protestant  reign  were  benign  and  happy.  But  the 
restless  nobles  demanded  his  resignation,  and  the  in- 
vestment of  James  YI.,  then  thirteen  years  of  age, 
with  full  authority.  After  great  reverses  of  fortune 
within  a  short  period,  Morton  was  condemned  to  the 
scaffold,  June  2d,  1581,  on  the  charge  of  complicity 
in  the  murder  of  Darnley.  He  confessed  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  conspiracy,  but  denied  any  connection 
with  it,  not  daring,  he  affirmed,  to  reveal  it,  because 
the  Queen  approved  the  regicide.  He  died  with  un- 
faltering firmness  and  resignation.  Mary  heard  with 
imfeigned  satisfaction  of  the  execution  of  an  enemy, 
whose  death  was  favorable  to  her  aspirations. 

Mary  had  refused  to  give  James  YI.  the  title  of 
King,  and  when  her  messenger,  Kau,  presented  him- 
self with  maternal  gifts,  the  youthful  prince  denied 
him  audience,  because  his  mother  had  omitted  the 
royal  address. 

A  new  scheme  was  proposed  of  association  in  the 
crown.    The  conditions  were,  the  resignation  of  the 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


361 


sceptre  to  Mary,  and  her  restoration  of  it  again  to  lier 
son.  The  management  of  the  affair  was  committed 
to  the  Duke  of  Guise.  It  was  another  Catholic  de- 
vice, similar  to  that  of  1570.  Earl  of  Lennox,  for- 
merly  Stuart,  a  Catholic  favorite  of  James,  held 

a  commanding  influence,  and  secretly  used  it  to  weak- 
en the  strength  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Prepar- 
atory to  his  ultimate  plans,  he  reestablished  the  Epis- 
copal church  for  the  benefit  of  the  Protestant  nobility. 
The  English  ambassador  at  Edinburgh  disclosed  to 
the  nobles  who  were  faithful  to  the  Reformation,  the 
negotiations  in  progress,  and  the  danger  to  their  reli- 
gion and  lives,  if  the  project  of  association  in  the 
crown  succeeded.  The  result  was  another  formidable 
confederation  to  put  down  Lennox,  defeat  the  designs 
of  the  Queen,  and  guard  the  Protestant  faith.  Len- 
nox moved  fearlessly  forward  ;  but  intelligence  reach- 
ing the  confederates  of  his  incautious  haste,  they  re- 
solved to  strike  a  blow  without  delay.  The  Xing  was 
enjoying  the  chase  near  Perth.  The  Earl  of  Gourie 
invited  him  to  his  castle  at  Puthven,  when  suddenly 
it  was  environed  with  a  thousand  men.  The  captive 
w^ept  and  expostulated  in  vain ;  he  was  carried  to  the 
fortress  of  Stirling  Castle.  Lennox,  after  attempting 
to  intrench  himself  at  Edinburgh,  retired  into  France, 
where  he  soon  died. 

This  disastrous  experiment  of  Mary's  friends,  once 
more  plunged  her  into  the  abyss  of  helplessness  and 
despair ;  while  Elizabeth  was  elated  with  the  triumphs 
of  her  unshaken  authority.  In  the  extremity  of  her  con- 
dition, she  wrote  a  long  and  deeply  interesting  letter : 
P 


362 


MARY    QLEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  QUEEN  ELIZABETH  * 

"  Madam  —  Upon  that  whicli  has  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge of  the  last  conspiracies  executed  in  Scotland 
against  mj  poor  child,  having  reason  to  fear  the  con- 
sequences of  it,  from  the  example  of  myself,  I  must 
employ  the  very  small  remainder  of  my  life  and 
strength  before  my  death,  to  discharge  my  heart  to 
you  fully  of  my  just  and  melancholy  complaints  ;  of 
which  I  desire  that  this  letter  may  serve  you  as  long 
as  you  live  after  me,  for  a  perpetual  testimony  and 
engraving  upon  your  conscience,  as  much  for  my  dis- 
charge to  posterity,  as  to  the  shame  and  confusion  of 
all  those  who,  under  your  approbation,  have  so  cru- 
elly and  unworthily  treated  me  to  this  time,  and 
reduced  me  to  the  extremity  in  which  I  am.  But 
as  their  designs,  practices,  actions,  and  proceedings, 
though  as  detestable  as  they  could  have  been,  have 
always  prevailed  w^ith  you  against  my  very  just  re- 
monstrances and  sincere  deportment ;  and  as  the 
power  which  you  have  in  your  hands,  has  always 

*  Blackwood,  whose  liistory  of  the  sufferings  of  Mary  was  pub- 
lished 80  early  as  15S1,  says:  "The  Queen  at  the  reported  seizure  of 
her  son  by  Lord  Gowry,  having  received  an  intimation  of  her  son's 
captivity,  fell  so  sick  that  she  thought  she  should  die,  as  the  Eng- 
lish phj'sicians  reported  she  would  to  their  mistress,  who  wanted 
nothing  better,  having  the  son  already  in  her  power,  or,  which  was 
the  same ;  in  the  hands  of  the  people  who  were  devoted  to  her ;  with 
which  the  poor  mother,  being  greatly  agitated  in  her  mind,  after 
she  had  addressed  her  prayers  to  God,  put  her  hand  to  the  pen, 
thinking  to  obtain  favor  from,  and  to  soften  the  heart  of,  her  cousin 
by  this  address."  The  French  original  of  this  "  celebrated  letter," 
as  Chalmers  calls  it,  is  in  the  British  Museum,  Cotton  lib.  Calig.  c 
vii.  51. 


'MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  363 


been  a  reason  for  you  among  mankind ;  I  will  have 
recourse  to  the  living  God,  our  only  judge,  who  has 
established  us  equally  and  immediately  under  Ilim, 
for  the  government  of  his  people. 

"  I  will  invoke  him,  till  the  end  of  this,  my  very  press- 
ing affliction,  that  he  will  return  to  you  and  to  me  (as 
he  will  do  in  his  last  judgment,)  the  share  of  our  merits 
and  demerits  one  toward  the  other.  And  remember, 
madam,  that  to  him  we  shall  not  be  able  to  disguise 
anything  by  the  point  and  policy  of  the  world  ;  though 
mine  enemies,  under  you,  have  been  able,  for  a  time, 
to  cover  their  subtle  inventions  to  men,  perhaps  to 
you. 

"  In  his  name,  and  before  him  sitting  between  you 
and  me,  I  will  remind  you  that,  by  the  agents,  spies, 
and  secret  messengers,  sent  in  your  name  to  Scotland 
while  I  was  there,  my  subjects  were  encouraged  to 
rebel  against  me,  to  make  attempts  upon  my  person, 
and,  in  a  word,  to  speak,  do,  enterprise,  and  execute 
that  which  has  come  to  the  said  country  during  my 
troubles ;  of  which  I  will  not,  at  present,  specify  oth- 
er proof  than  that  which  I  have  gained  of  it  by  the 
confession  of  one  who  was  afterward  among  those 
that  were  most  advanced  for  this  good  service,  and 
of  the  witnesses  confronted  with  him.  To  whom,  if 
I  had  since  done  justice,  he  had  not  afterward,  by  his 
ancient  intelligences,  renewed  the  same  practices 
against  my  son,  and  had  not  procured  for  all  my  trai- 
torous and  rebellious  subjects  who  took  refuge  with 
you,  that  aid  and  support  which  they  have  had,  even 
since  my  detention  on  this  side ;  without  which  sup- 


364: 


MARY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


port  I  tnink  tlie  said  traitors  could  not  since  have 
prevailed,  nor  afterward  have  stood  out  so  long  as 
they  ha\*e  done. 

"During  my  imprisonment  at  Lochleven,  the  late 
Trogmarton  [Tlirockmorton]  counseled  me  on  your 
behalf  to  sign  that  demission  which  he  advertised  me 
would  be  presented  to  me,  assuring  me  that  it  would 
not  be  valid.  And  there  was  not  afterward  a  place 
in  Christendom,  where  it  w^as  held  for  valid  or  main- 
tained, except  on  this  side,  [where  it  was  maintained] 
even  to  having  assisted  with  open  force,  the  authors 
of  it.  In  your  conscience,  madam,  would  you  ac- 
knowledge an  equal  liberty  and  power  in  your  sub- 
•  j  ects  ?  Nothwithstanding  this,  my  authority  has  been 
by  my  subjects  transferred  *to  my  son,  when  he  was 
not  capable  of  exercising  it. 

"  And  since  I  was  willing  to  assure  it  lawfully  to  him, 
he  being  of  age  to  be  assisted  to  his  own  advantage,  it  is 
suddenly  ravished  from  him,  and  assigned  over  to 
two  or  three  traitors ;  who,  having  taken  from  him 
the  efl<ectiveness  of  it,  will  take  from  him  as  they 
have  from  me,  both  the  name  and  the  title  of  it,  if 
he  contradicts  them  in  the  manner  he  may,  and 
perhaps  his  life,  if  God  does  not  provide  for  his  pres- 
ervation. 

"  When  I  was  escaped  from  Lochleven,  ready  to 
give  battle  to  my  rebels,  I  remitted  to  you,  by  a  gen- 
gleman  express,  a  diamond  jewel,  which  I  had  former- 
ly received  as  a  token  from  you,  and  with  assurance 
to  be  succored  against  my  rebels,  and  even  that,  on  my 
rertiring  toward  you,  you  would  come  to  the  very  fron- 


MAKT   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS, 


305 


tiers  ill  order  to  assist  me ;  which  had  been  confirmed 
to  me  by  divers  messengers. 

"This  promise,  coming,  and  repeatedly,  from  your 
mouth,  (though  I  had  found  myself  often  deceived  by 
your  ministers,)  made  me  place  such  affiance  on  Lhe 
effectiveness  of  it,  that,  when  my  army  was  routed,  I 
had  come  directly  to  throw  myself  into  your  arms,  if  I 
had  been  able  to  approach  them.  But,  while  I  was 
planning  to  set  out,  there  was  I  arrested  on  my  way, 
surrounded  with  guards,  secured  in  strong  places,  and 
at  last  reduced,  all  shame  set  aside,  to  the  captivity 
in  which  I  remain  to  this  day,  after  a  thousand  deaths, 
which  I  have  already  suffered  from  it. 

"  I  know  that  you  will  allege  to  me  what  passed 
between  the  late  Duke  N'orfolk  [Duke  of  ^sTorfolk] 
and  me.  I  maintain  that  there  was  nothing  in  this  to 
your  prejudice  or  against  the  ]3ublic  good  of  this  realm, 
and  that  the  treaty  was  sanctioned  with  the  advice  and 
signatures  of  the  first  persons  who  were  then  of  your 
council,  under  the  assurance  of  making  it  appear  good 
to  you.  How  could  such  personages  have  underta- 
ken the  enterprise  of  making  you  consent  to  a  point 
which  should  deprive  you  of  life,  of  honor,  and 
your  crown,  as  you  have  shown  yourself  persuaded  it 
would  have  done  to  all  the  ambassadors  and  others, 
who  speak  to  you  concerning  me. 

"  In  the  meantime,  my  rebels  perceiving  that  their 
headlong  course  was  carrying  them  much  further  than 
they  had  thought  before,  and  the  truth  being  evidenced 
concerning  the  calumnies  that  had  been  propagated 
of  me  at  the  conference  to  which  I  submitted,  in  full 


366 


MART   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


assembly  of  your  deputies  and  mine,  with  others  of 
the  contrary  party  in  that  country,  in  order  to  clear 
myself  publicly  of  them ;  there  were  the  principals, 
for  having  come  to  repentance,  besieged  by  your  for- 
ces in  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  and  one  of  the  first 
among  them  poisoned,'^  and  the  other  most  cruelly 
hanged  if  after  I  had  twice  made  them  lay  down  their 
arms  at  your  request,  in  hopes  of  an  agreement,  which 
God  knows  whether  my  enemies  aimed  at. 

"I  have  been  for  a  long  time  trying  whether  pa- 
tience could  soften  the  rigor  and  ill-treatment  which 
they  have  begun  for  these  ten  years  peculiarly  to 
make  me  suffer.  And,  accommodating  myself  exactly 
to  the  order  prescribed  me  for  my  captivity  in  this 
house,  as  well  in  regard  to  the  number  and  quality 
of  the  attendants  which  I  retain,  dismissing  the  othe- 
ers,  as  for  my  diet  and  ordinary  exercises  for  my 
health,  I  am  living  at  present  as  quietly  and  peacea- 
bly as  one  much  inferior  to  myself,  and  more  obliged 
than  with  such  treatment  I  was  to  you,  had  been  able 
to  do ;  even  to  the  abstaining,  in  order  to  take  from 
you  all  shadow  of  suspicion  and  diffidence,  from  re- 
quiring to  have  some  intelligence  with  my  son  and 
my  country,  which  is  what  by  no  right  or  reason  could 
be  denied  me,  and  particularly  with  my  child  ;  whom, 
instead  of  this,  they  endeavored  by  every  way  to 
persuade  against  me,  in  order  to  weaken  us  by  our 
division. 

"  I  was  permitted,  you  will  say,  to  send  one  to  visit 

♦Secretary  Maitland.  f  The  Laird  of  Grange. 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


367 


him  there  abor.t  three  years  ago.  His  captivity  then 
at  Stirling  under  the  tyranny  of  Morton,  was  the 
cause  of  it,  as  his  liberty  was  afterward  of  the  refusal 
to  make  a  like  visit.  All  this  year  past  I  have  sever- 
al times  entered  into  divers  overtures  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  good  amity  between  us,  and  a  sure 
understanding  between  these  two  realms  in  future. 
About  ten  years  ago,  commissioners  were  sent  to  me 
at  Chatswortli  for  that  purpose.  A  treaty  has  been 
held  upon  it  with  yourself,  by  my  ambassadors  and 
those  of  France.  I  even  myself  made  last  winter  all 
the  advantageous  overtures  concerning  it  to  Beal,  that 
it  was  possible  to  make.  What  return  have  I  had 
from  them  ?  My  good  intention  has  been  despised, 
the  sincerity  of  my  actions  has  been  neglected  and  ca- 
lumniated, the  state  of  my  affairs  has  been  traversed  by 
delays,  postponings,  and  other  such  like  artifices.  And, 
in  conclusion,  a  worse  aiid  more  unworthy  treatment 
from  day  to  day,  in  spite  of  anything  which  I  am 
obliged  to  do  to  deserve  the  country,  and  my  very 
long,  useless,  and  prejudicial  patience,  have  reduced 
'me  so  low,  that  mine  enemies,  in  their  habits  of  using 
me  ill,  now  think  they  have  the  right  of  prescription 
for  treating  me,  not  as  a  prisoner,  which  in  reason  I 
could  not  be,  but  as  a  slave,  whose  life  and  whoso 
death  depend  only  upon  their  tyranny. 

"  I  cannot,  madam,  endure  it  any  longer ;  and  I 
must  in  dying  discover  the  authors  of  my  death,  or 
living,  attempt,  under  your  protection,  to  find  an  end 
to  the  cruelties,  calumnies,  and  traitorous  designs  of 
my  said  enemies,  in  order  to  establish  me  in  some  lit- 


368 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


tie  more  repose  for  the  remainder  of  my  life.  To  take 
away  the  occasions  pretended  for  all  the  differences 
between  us,  banish  from  your  mind,  if  you  please,  all 
that  has  been  reported  to  you  concerning  my  actions ; 
review  the  depositions  of  the  foreigners  taken  in  Ire- 
land ;  let  those  of  the  Jesuits  last  executed  be  sub- 
mitted to  you;  give  liberty  to  those  who  would 
undertake  to  accuse  me  publicly,  and  permit  me  to 
enter  upon  my  defence ;  if  any  evil  be  found  in  me, 
let  me  suffer  for  it ;  it  shall  be  patiently,  when  I  know 
the  occasion  of  it ;  if  any  good,  allow  me  not  to  be 
worse  treated  for  it,  with  your  very  high  commission 
before  God  and  man. 

"  The  vilest  criminals  that  are  in  your  prisons,  born 
under  your  obedience,  are  admitted  to  their  justifica- 
tion; and  their  accusers  and  their  accusations  are 
always  declared  to  them.  Why,  then,  shall  not  the 
same  order  have  place  toward  me,  a  sovereign  Queen, 
your  nearest  relation  and  lawful  heir  ?  I  think  that 
this  last  circumstance  has  hitherto  been  on  the  side 
of  my  enemies,  the  principal  cause  of  all  their  cal- 
umnies, to  make  their  unjust  pretensions  slide  be- 
tween the  two,  and  keep  us  in  division.  But,  alas ! 
they  have  now  little  reason  and  less  need  to  torment 
me  more  upon  this  account.  For  I  protest  to  you,  upon 
mine  honor,  that  I  look  this  day  for  no  kingdom  but 
that  of  my  God,  whom  I  see  preparing  me  for  the 
better  conclusion  of  all  my  afflictions  and  adversities. 

"  This  will  be  to  you  [a  monition]  to  discharge  your 
conscience  toward  my  child,  as  to  what  belongs  to  him 
on  this  point  after  my  death  ;  and,  in  the  meantime. 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


369 


not  to  let  prevail  to -his  prejudice,  the  continual  prac- 
tices and  secret  conspiracies  which  our  enemies  in  this 
kingdom  are  making  daily  for  the  advancement  of 
their  said  pretensions;  laboring,  on  the  other  side, 
with  our  traitorous  subjects  in  Scotland,  by  all  the 
means  which  they  can  to  hasten  his  ruin ;  of  which 
L  desire  no  better  verification  than  the  charges  given 
to  your  last  deputies  sent  into  Scotland,  and  what  the 
said  deputies  have  seditiously  practiced  there,  as  I 
believe,  without  your  knowledge,  but  with  good  and 
sufficient  solicitation  of  the  earl,  my  good  neighbor 
at  York  * 

"  And  on  this  point,  madam,  by  what  right  can  it 
be  maintained  that  I,  the  mother  of  my  child,  am  to- 
tally prohibited  not  only  from  assisting  him  in  the  so 
urgent  necessity  in  which  he  is,  but  also  from  having 
any*  intelligence  of  his  state  ?  Who  can  bring  him 
more  carefulness,  duty,  and  sincerity  than  I?  To 
whom  can  he  be  more  near  ?  At  the  least,  if,  when 
sending  to  him  to  provide  for  his  preservation,  as  the 
Earl  of  Cheresbury  [Shrewsbury]  gave  me  lately  to 
understand  that  you  did,  you  had  been  pleased  to 
take  my  advice  in  the  matter,  you  would  have  inter- 
posed with  a  better  face,  as  I  think,  and  with  more 
obligingness  to  me.  But  consider  what  you  leave  me 
to  think,  when,  forgetting  so  suddenly  the  offence 
which  you  pretended  to  have  taken  against  my  son, 
at  the  time  1  was  requesting  you  that  we  should  send 
together  to  him,  you  have  dispatched  one  to  the  place 

4 

*  The  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  then  Lord  President,  at  York. 
P*  24 


370 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


where  lie  was  a  prisoner,  not  only  without  giving  me 
advice  of  it,  but  debarring  me  at  the  very  time  from 
all  liberty,  that  by  no  way  whatever  I  might  have  any 
news  of  him. 

And  if  the  intention  of  those  w^lio  have  procured 
on  your  part  this  so  prompt  visit  to  my  son  had  been 
for  his  preservation  and  the  repose  of  the  country, 
they  needed  not  to  have  been  so  careful  to  conceal  it 
from  me,  as  a  matter  in  which  I  should  not  have  been 
willing  to  concur  with  you.  By  this  means  they  have 
lost  you  the  good  will  which  I  should  have  had 
for  you.  And,  to  talk  to  you  more  plainly  on  the 
point,  I  pray  you  not  to  employ  there  any  more  such 
means  or  such  persons.  For,  although  1  hold  the  Lord 
de  Kerri  [Cary,  Lord  Ilunsdon]  too  sensible  of  the 
rank  from  which  he  is  sprung,  to  engage  his  honor  in 
a  villainous  act,  yet  he  has  had  for  an  assistant  a 
sworn  partizan  of  the  Earl  of  Huntingdon's,  by  whose 
bad  offices  an  action  as  bad  has  nearly  succeeded  to  a 
similar  effect.  I  shall  be  contented,  then,  if  you  will 
only  not  permit  my  son  to  receive  any  injury  from  his 
country  (which  is  all  that  I  have  ever  required  of  you 
before,  even  when  an  army  was  sent  to  the  borders,  to 
]Drevent  justice  from  being  done  to  that  detestable  Mor- 
ton,) nor  any  of  your  subjects  to  intermeddle  any 
more,  directly  or  .indirectly,  in  the  affairs  of  Scotland, 
unless  with  my  knowledge,  to  whom  all  cognizance 
of  these  things  belongs,  or  with  the  assistance  of  some 
one  on  the  part  of  the  most  Christian  King^  my  good 
brother,  whom,  as  ou^  principal  ally,  I  desire  to  make 
privy  to  the  whole  of  this  cause,  notwithstanding  the 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


371 


little  influence  that  he  can  have  with  the  traitors  who 
detain  my  son  at  present. 

"In  the  meantime,  I  declare  in  all  frankness  to 
you,  that  I  hold  this  last  conspiracy  and  innovation 
as  pure  treason  against  the  life  of  my  son,  the  good 
of  his  affairs,  and  that  of  the  country ;  and  that,  while 
he  shall  be  in  the  state  which  I  understand  he  is,  I 
shall  consider  no  message,  writing,  or  other  act  .  that 
comes  from  him,  or  is  i)assed  in  his  name,  as  proceed- 
ing from  his  free  and  voluntary  disposition,  but  only 
from  the  said  conspirators,  who  are  making  him  serve 
as  a  mask  for  them,  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 

"But,  madam,  with  all  this  freedom  of  speech, 
which  I  can  foresee  will  in  some  sort  displease  you, 
though  it  is  but  the  truth  itself,  you  will  think  it  still 
more  strange,  I  am  sure,  that  I  importune  you  again 
with  a  request  of  much  greater  importance,  and  yet 
very  easy  for  you  to  grant.  This  is,  that,  not  having 
been  able  hitherto  by  accommodating  myself  patiently 
for  so  long  a  time  to  the  rigorous  treatment  of  this 
captivity,  and,  carrying  myself  sincerely  in  all  things, 
yea,  even  such  as  could  concern  you  ever  so  little,  in 
order  to  give  some  assurance  of  my  entire  affection 
for  you,  all  my  hope  being  taken  away  of  being 
better  treated  for  the  very  short  period  of  my 
life  that  remains  to  me,  I  supplicate  you  for  the 
sake  of  the  painful  passion  of  our  Saviour  and  Re- 
deemer, tTesus  Christ,  again  I  supplicate  you,  to  per- 
mit me  to  withdraw  myself  out  of  your  realm,  into 
some  place  of  repose,  to  seek  some  comfort  for  my 
poor  body,  worn  out  as  it  is  with  continual  sorrows, 


372  MAKY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 

that,  with  liberty  of  conscience,  I  may  prepare  my 
soul  for  God,  who  is  daily  calling  for  it. 

*'  Believe,  madam,  and  the  physicians  whom  yon 
sent  this  last  summer  are  able  sufficiently  to  judge 
the  same,  that  I  am  not  for  a  long  continuance,  so  as 
to  give  you  any  foundation  for  jealousy  or  distrust  of 
me.  And,  notwithstanding  this,  require  of  me  what- 
ever just  and  reasonable  assurances  and  conditions 
you  think  fit.  The  greatest  power  rests  always  on 
your  side,  to  make  me  keep  them ;  though  on  no  ac- 
count whatsoever  would  I  wish  to  break  them.  You 
have  had  sufficient  experience  of  my  observance  of 
my  simple  promises,  and  sometimes  to  my  prejudice; 
as  I  showed  you  on  this  very  point  about  two  years 
ago.  Kecollect,  if  you  please,  what  I  then  wrote  to 
you  ;  and  if  you  will  never  be  able  to  bind  my  heart 
to  yon  so  much  as  by  kindness,  though  you  keep  my 
poor  body  languishing  forever  between  four  walls ; 
those  of  my  rank  and  nature  not  suffering  themselves 
to  be  gained  or  forced  by  any  rigor. 

"Your  imprisonment,  without  any  right  or  just 
ground,  has  already  destroyed  my  body,  of  which  you 
will  shortly  see  the  end,  if  it  continues  there  a  little 
longer ;  and  my  enemies  will  not  have  much  time  to 
glut  their  cruelty  on  me ;  nothing  is  left  of  me  but 
tlie  soul,  which  all  your  power  cannot  make  captive. 
Give  it,  then,  room  to  aspire  a  little  more  freely  after 
its  salvation,  which  is  all  that  it  now  seeks,  rather  than 
any  grandeur  of  this  world.*  It  seems  to  me  that  it 
cannot  be  any  great  satisfaction,  honor,  and  advan- 
tage to  you,  for  my  enemies  to  trample  my  life  under 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  373 

foot,  till  they  have  stifled  me  in  your  presence.  Where- 
as, if,  in  this  extremity,  however  late  it  be,  you  release 
me  out  of  their  hands,  you  will  bind  me  strongly  to 
you,  and  bind  all  those  who  belong  to  me,  particular- 
ly my  poor  child,  whom  you  will,  perhaps,  make  sure 
to  yourself  by  it. 

"I  will  not  cease  to  importune  you  with  this  request, 
till  it  is  granted.  And  on  this  account  I  beg  you  to 
let  me  know  your  intention  ;  having,  in  order  to  com- 
ply with  you,  delayed  for  two  years  till  this  time  to 
renew  my  application  for  it.  In  the  meantime,  pro- 
vide, if  you  please,  for  the  bettering  of  my  treatment 
in  this  country,  that  I  may  not  suffer  any  longer,  and 
commit  me  not  to  the  discretion  of  any  other  what- 
ever, but  only  your  own  self,  from  whom  alone,  (as  I 
wrote  to  you  lately,)  I  wish  for  the  future  to  derive  all 
the  good  and  the  evil  which  I  shall  experience  in 
your  dominions.  Do  me  this  favor,  to  let  me,  or  the 
ambassador  of  France  for  me,  have  your  intention  in 
writing.  For,  to  confine  me  to  what  the  Earl  of  Scher- 
usbury,  [Shrewsbury]  or  others  shall  say  or  write 
about  it  on  your  behalf,  I  have  too  much  experience 
to  be  able  to  put  any  assurance  in  it ;  the  least  point 
which  they  shall  capriciously  fancy  being  sufficient 
to  make  a  total  change  from  one  day  to  another. 

"  Besides  this,  the  last  time  I  wrote  to  those  of  your 
council,  you  gave  me  to  understand  that  I  ought  not 
to  address  myself  to  them,  but  to  you  alone  ;  there- 
fore, to  extend  their  authority  and  credit  only  to  do 
me  hurt,  could  not  be  reasonable  ;  as  has  happened 
in  this  last  limitation,  in  which,  contrary  to  your  in- 


374  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

tentions,  I  have  been  treated  with  much  indigniij. 
This  gives  me  every  reason  to  suspect  that  some  of  mj 
enemies  in  your  said  council  may  have  procured  it 
with  a  design  to  keep  others  of  the  said  council  from 
being  made  privy  to  my  just  complaints,  lest  the  oth- 
ers should  perhaps  see  their  companions  adhere  to 
their  wicked  attempts  upon  my  life,  which,  if  they 
should  have  any  knowledge  of  them,  they  would 
oppose,  for  the  sake  of  your  honor  and  of  their  duty 
towards  you. 

"  Two  things  I  have  principally  to  require  at  the 
close :  the  one,  that,  near  as  I  am  to  leaving  this 
world,  I  may  have  with  me  for  my  consolation  some 
honest  churchman,  to  remind  me  daily  of  the  course 
which  I  have  to  finish,  and  to  teach  me  how  to  com- 
plete it  conformably  with  my  religion,  in  which  I  am 
firmly  resolved  to  live  and  die. 

"  This  is  a  last  duty,  which  cannot  be  denied  the 
meanest  and  most  abject  person  that  lives  :  it  is  a  lib- 
erty which  you  grant  to  all  the  foreign  ambassadors, 
and  which  all  Catholic  Kings  give  to  your  ambassa- 
dors—  the  exercise  of  their  religion.  And  even  I 
myself  have  not  heretofore  forced  my  own  subjects 
to  anything  contrary  to  their  religion,  though  I  had 
all  power  and  authority  over  them.  And  that  I  should 
be  deprived  in  this  extremity  of  such  freedom,  you 
cannot  in  justice  require.  What  advantage  will  ac- 
crue to  you  if  you  deny  it  me  ?  I  hope  that  God  will 
forgive  me,  if,  oppressed  by  you  in  this  manner,  I 
render  him  no  other  duty  than  what  I  shall  be  allow- 
ed to  do  in  my  heart.    But  you  will  set  a  very  bad 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


375 


example  to  tlie  other  princes  of  Christendom,  to  act 
towards  their  subjects  with  the  same  rigor  that  you 
will  show  to  me,  a  sovereign  Queen,  and  your  nearest 
relation,  which  I  am,  and  shall  be,  as  long  as  I  live, 
in  spite  of  my  enemies. 

"  I  would  not  nov7  trouble  you  with  the  increase  of 
my  household ;  about  which,  for  the  short  time  I  have 
to  live,  I  need  not  care  much.  I  require  then  from  you 
only  two  bedchamber  women  to  attend  me  during  my 
illness ;  attesting  to  you  before  God,  that  they  are 
very  necessary  to  me,  now  that  I  am  a  forlorn  crea- 
ture among  these  simple  people.  Grant  these  to  me, 
for  God's  sake  ;  and  show,  in  this  instance,  that  my 
enemies  have  not  so  much  credit  with  you  against 
me  as  to  exercise  their  vengeance  and  cruelty  in  a 
point  of  so  little  importance,  and  involving  a  mere 
office  of  humanity. 

"  I  will  now  come  to  that  with  which  the  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury  has  charged  me,  if  such  a  one  as  he  can 
charge  me,  which  is  this :  that,  contrary  to  my  prom.- 
ise  made  to  Beal,  and  without  your  knowledge,  I  have 
been  negotiating  with  my  son,  to  yield  to  him  my 
title  to  the  crown  of  Scotland,  when  I  had  obliged 
myself  not  to  proceed  in  it  but  with  your  advice,  by 
one  of  my  servants,  who  should  be  directed  by  one 
of  yours  in  their  common  journey  thither.  These  are, 
I  believe,  the  very  words  of  the  said  earl. 

"  I  will  tell  you,  madam,  that  Beal  never  had  an 
absolute  and  unconditional  promise  from  me,  but,  in- 
deed, conditional  overtures,  by  which  I  cannot  be 
bound,  in  the  sta/  e  in  which  the  business  is,  unless  tho 


376 


MARY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


stipulations  which  I  annexed  to  it  are  previously  exe- 
cuted ;  and  so  far  is  he  from  having  satisfied  me  about 
this,  that,  on  the  contrary,  I  have  never  had  any  an- 
swer from  liim,  nor  heard  mention  of  it  since,  on  his 
part.  And  on  this  point,  I  well  remember;  that  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  about  Easter  last,  wishing  to 
draw  from  me  a  new  confirmation  of  what  I  had  spo- 
ken to  the  said  Beal,  I  replied  to  him  very  fully,  that 
it  was  only  in  case  the  said  conditions  should  be  grant- 
ed, and  consequently  fulfilled  toward  me.  Both  are 
living  to  testify  this,  if  they  will  tell  the  truth  about 
it.  Then,  seeing  that  no  answer  was  made  to  me,  but 
on  the  contrary,  that  by  delays  and  neglects  my  ene- 
mies continued  more  licentiously  than  ever  their  prac- 
tices carried  on  ever  since  the  sojourn  of  the  said  Beal 
with  me,  in  order  to  thwart  my  just  pretensions  in 
Scotland,  so  that  the  effects  have  been  well  witnessed 
there ;  by  these  means  a  door  was  left  open  for  the  ruin 
of  myself  and  son ;  I  took  your  silence  for  a  refusal, 
and  discharged  myself,  by  express  letters,  as  well  to 
you  as  to  your  council,  from  all  that  I  had  treated 
upon  with  the  said  Beal. 

"  I  make  you  fully  privy  to  what  monsieur,  the 
King,  and  madame,  the  Queen,  had  written  to  me 
with  their  own  hands,  on  this  business,  and  I  asked 
your  advice  upon  it,  which  is  yet  to  come,  and  on 
w4iich  it  was  in  truth  my  intention  to  proceed,  if  you 
had  given  it  me  in  time,  and  you  had  permitted  me 
to  send  to  my  son,  assisting  me  in  the  overtures  which 
I  had  proposed  to  you,  in  order  to  establish  between 
the  two  realms  a  good  amity  and  perfect  intelligence 


MART    QUEEN"    OF  SCOTS. 


377 


for  the  future.  But  to  bind  myself  nakedly  to  follow 
your  advice  before  I  knew  what  it  would  be,  and,  for 
the  journey  of  our  servants,  to  put  mine  under  the 
direction  of  yours,  even  to  my  own  country,  I  was 
never  yet  so  simple  as  to  think  of  it. 

"  JSTow  I  refer  to  your  consideration,  if  you  knew 
of  the  false  game  which  my  enemies  in  this  country 
have  played  me  in  Scotland,  to  reduce  things  to  the 
point  at  which  they  stand,  which  of  us  has  proceeded 
with  the  greatest  sincerity.  God  judge  between  them 
and  me,  and  avert  from  this  island  the  just  punish- 
ment of  their  demerits ! 

"  Take  no  heed  of  the  intelligence  which  my  trai- 
torous subjects  in  Scotland  have  given  you.  You  will 
find,  and  I  will  maintain  it  before  all  the  princes  in 
Christendom,  that  nothing  whatever  has  passed  there 
on  my  side  to  your  prejudice,  or  against  the  welfare 
and  tranquillity  of  the  realm,  which  I  affect  not  less 
than  any  counselor  or  subject  that  you  have,  being 
more  interested  in  it  than  any  of  them. 

"There  was  a  negotiation  for  gratifying  my  son  ' 
with  the  title  and  name  of  Kino-  and  for  insurino' 
as  well  the  said  title  to  him  as  impunity  to  the  rebels 
for  their  past  offences,  and  for  replacing  everything  in 
repose  and  tranquillity  for  the  future,  without  innova- 
tion of  any  kind  whatever.  Was  this  taking  away 
the  crown  from  my  son?  My  enemies,  I  believe,  had 
no  wish  whatever  that  the  crown  should  be  secured 
to  him,  and  are  therefore  glad  that  he  should  keep  it 
by  the  milawful  violence  of  traitors,  enemies  from 
times  of  old  to  all  our  family.    Was  this  then  seeking 


378 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


for  justice  upon  the  past  offences  of  tlie  said  traitors, 
wliicli  my  clemency  has  always  surpassed  ? 

"  But  an  evil  conscience  can  never  be  assured,  car- 
rying its  fear  continually  in  its  very  great  trouble 
within  itself.  Was  it  wishing  to  disturb  the  repose 
of  the  country  to  grant  a  mild  pardon  of  everything 
past,  and  to  effect  a  general  reconciliation  between 
all  our  subjects  ?  This  is  the  point  which  our  enemies 
in  this  country  are  afraid  of,  much  as  they  pretend 
to  desire  it.  What  prejudice  would  be  done  to  you 
by  this  ?  Mark  then,  and  verify,  if  you  please,  by 
what  other  point.    I  will  answer  it  on  my  honor. 

"  Ah !  will  you,  madam,  suffer  yourself  to  be  so 
blind  to  the  artifices  of  my  enemies,  as  to  establish 
their  unjust  pretensions  to  this  crown,  after  you  are 
gone ;  nay,  perhaps,  against  yourself?  Will  you  suf- 
fer them  in  your  lifetime,  and  look  on,  while  they  are 
ruining  and  cruelly  destroying  those  so  nearly  con- 
nected with  you,  both  in  heart  and  in  blood  ?  What 
advantage  and  honor  can  you  hope  for  in  allowing 
them  to  keep  us,  my  son  and  me,  so  long  separated, 
and  him  and  me  from  you  ? 

"  Redeem  the  old  pledges  of  your  good-nature ; 
bind  your  relations  to  yourself ;  let  me  have  the  satis- 
faction, before  I  die,  of  seeing  all  matters  happily 
settled  between  us  ;  that  my  soul,  when  released  from 
this  body,  may  not  be  constrained  to  make  its  lamen- 
tations to  God  for  the  wrongs  which  you  have  suffered 
to  be  done  it  here  below ;  but  rather  that,  being  hap- 
pily united  to  you,  it  may  quit  this  captivity,  to  go  to 
Him,  whom  I  pray  to  insj)ire  you  favorably  upon  my 


MAEY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


379 


very  just,  and  more  than  reasonable  complaints  and 
grievances.  At  Sheffield,  this  8th  of  ^^"ovember,  one 
thousand,  five  hundred,  eighty-two. 

"  Your  very  disconsolate  nearest  kinswoman, 
and  affectionate  cousin, 

"Mary  E." 

Tlie  Queen  of  England  was  far  from  yielding  to  the 
captive's  pleading.  Kecent  events  had  decided  her 
to  keep  Mary  in  secure  confinement,  where,  as  hith- 
erto, failure  should  be  the  issue  of  all  plots  against 
her  own  majesty,  and  in  behalf  of  her  rival.  In  poor 
Scotland,  revolutions  swept  over  the  land,  like  the 
waves  of  a  tempestuous  deep.  James  YI.  was  yoimg 
and  weak,  both  in  council  and  action.  He  entertain- 
ed no  ardent  affection  for  his  mother,  consequently 
had  not  imbibed  her  ambitious  hostility  to  Elizabeth. 
He  was  the  creature  of  popular  commotion,  and  ca- 
pricious attachments  to  political  favorites.  Mean- 
while, Philip  H.  and  the  Duke  of  Guise  determined 
to  invade  England,  with  a  bold  and  decisive  cam- 
paign. June  2Tth,  1583,  James,  by  the  assistance  of 
Earl  Huntly  and  others,  regained  his  freedom,  and 
was  prepared  for  the  adventure. 

The  Duke  of  Guise  sent  Charles  Paget,  imder  the 
assumed  name  of  Mapo,  who  was  one  of  the  mana- 
agers  of  IMary's  dowry  in  France,  to  the  English  Cath- 
olics with  this  message  : 

"Assure  them,  upon  the  faith  and  honor  of  Hercu- 
les, (the  Duke  of  Guise,)  that  the  enterprise  has  no 
other  object  than  the  establishment  of  the  Catholic 


380 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


religion  in  England,  and  tlie  peaceable  restitution  of 
the  crown  of  England  to  the  Queen  of  Scotland,  to 
whom  that  crown  of  right  belongs.  As  soon  as  this 
is  done,  all  foreigners  shall  leave  the  kingdom,  and  if 
any  refuse  to  do  so,  Hercules  promises  to  join  his  for- 
ces to  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  in  order 
to  drive  them  out." 

The  grand  expedition  was  doomed  to  inglorious 
close,  like  every  movement  which  had  been  made  for 
the  imprisoned  Queeo.  Elizabeth's  counsellors  dis- 
covered the  scheme,  and  the  result  was  a  fiercer  cru- 
sade upon  Catholicism,  and  greater  vigilance  over 
Mary  Stuart.  The  English  Parliament  convened,  and 
aroused  by  the  late  designs  upon  Elizabeth  and  the 
realm,  passed  a  bill,  depriving  Mary  Stuart  and  all 
her  descendants  of  the  right  of  succession,  if  the 
sovereign  of  England  met  a  violent  death,  and  author- 
izing the  pursuit  and  execution  of  any  person  found 
privy  to  the  conspiracy,  before  a  jury  of  twenty-four 
commissioners.  Parliament  also  enacted,  "  the  pen- 
alties of  high  treason  against  any  English  Catholic 
priest,  ordained  by  the  Bishop  of  Kome,  who  was 
/ound  in  the  realm  after  the  expiration  of  forty  days ; 
attainted  with  felony  all  persons  who  should  receive 
or  assist  him ;  punished  with  fine  and  imprisonment, 
at  the  Queen's  pleasure,  all  who  knew  of  his  being  in 
the  kingdom,  and  did  not  denounce  him  within  twelve 
days  ;  ordered  that  all  students  in  Catholic  seminaries 
abroad,  wdio  did  not  return  to  England  within  six 
months  after  proclamation  to  that  effect,  should  be 
punished  as  traitors  ;  that  parents  sending  their  chii- 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


381 


dren  abroad  without  license,  should  forfeit  for  every 
such  offence  one  hundred  ]30unds  ;  and  that  children 
so  sent  to  seminaries,  should  be  disabled  from  inher- 
iting the  property  of  their  parents." 

Mary  discerned  in  these  statutes  the  shadows  of 
her  hastening  fate.  She  was  removed,  August  25th, 
15S4,  from  Sheffield  to  Wingfield  Castle.  She  signed 
a  declaration  in  sentiment  the  same  as  that  of  the 
combination  to  protect  the  rights  of  Elizabeth.  Jan- 
uary 5th,  1585,  she  wrote  to  the  Archbishop  of  Glas- 
gow, that  she  desired  to  secure  peace  for  the  Queen 
of  England,  power  for  James  YL,  and  freedom  for 
herself. 

She  finally  submitted  with  great  reluctance  to  the 
will  of  Sir  Ralph  Sadler,  and  his  son-in-law,  Somers, 
her  new  keepers,  and  was  transferred  from  Wingfield 
to  the  cold  and  gloomy  apartments  of  Tutbury  Cas- 
tle. A  letter  to  Mauvissiere  and  Chasteauneuf,  joint- 
ly, gives  minutely  a  narrative  of  her  cheerless  cap- 
tivity : 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  M.  DE  IklAUVISSIEEE  AND  M.  DE  CHAS- 
TEAUNEUF. 

"  Gentlemen,  foreseeing  that  your  answer  to  my 
last  will  be  some  time  before  it  reaches  me,  I  have 
thought  it  best,  without  waiting  for  it,  to  impart  to 
you  my  just  complaints  concerning  what  Sir  Amays 
has  been  directed  to  signify  to  me,  touching  the  me- 
morial which  I  have  sent  you,  which  amounts,  in  fact, 
to  an  absolute  refusal  of  the  principal  request  con- 
tained in  it,  namely,  those  relating  to  the  change  and 


382 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


conveniences  of  dwelling,  intelligence  concerning  the 
affairs  of  my  dowry  by  the  Sieur  de  Cherelles,  and 
the  increase  of  the  number  of  my  servants  —  things, 
though  trifling  and  of  no  importance  to  the  Queen  of 
England,  madam  my  good  sister,  yet  so  necessary  for 
the  preservation  of  my  life  and  health,  so  mainly  con- 
tributing to  the  few  coraforts  that  are  left  to  me  in 
this  world,  and  to  my  consolation  between  these  four 
walls  (where  I  perceive  more  clearly  from  day  to  day 
that  they  are  determined  to  reduce  me  to  the  last  ex- 
tremity) that,  but  for  the  very  urgent  need  I  have  of 
them,  I  should  not  have  stooped  to  beg  for  them  with 
such  earnest  and  persevering  supplications,  that  I 
think  I  could  not  have  bought  them  at  a  dearer  rate ; 
regretting  exceedingly  that,  for  all  the  duty  I  have 
imposed  upon  myself  to  please  the  said  Queen  in  every 
thing  and  in  every  place,  so  little  consideration  and 
respect  is  paid  to  my  honor  and  content  in  the  matter 
of  my  state  and  treatment  here. 

"  To  give  you,  then,  ocular  proof  of  the  situation  in 
which  I  find  myself  in  regard  to  the  dwelling  in  the 
first  place,  and  that  you  may  remonstrate  in  my  be- 
half on  the  subject  with  the  said  Queen,  (who,  I  pre- 
sume, has  never  been  accurately  informed  about  it,) 
I  will  tell  you  that  I  am  in  a  walled  enclosure,  on  the 
top  of  a  hill,  exposed  to  all  the  winds  and  the  inclem- 
encies of  heaven ;  within  the  said  enclosure,  resembling 
that  of  the  wood  of  Yincennes,  there  is  a  very  old 
hunting-lodge,  built  of  timber  and  plaster,  cracked 
in  all  parts,  the  plaster  adhering  nowhere  to  the  wood- 
work, and  broken  in  numberless  places  ;  the  said  lodge 


MART    QUEEN    OF  'sGOTS. 


383 


distant  three  fathoms  or  thereabouts  from  the  wall, 
and  situated  so  low,  that  the  rampart  of  earth  which 
is  behind  the  wall  is  on  a  level  with  the  highest  point 
of  the  building,  so  that  the  sun  can.  never  shine  upon 
it  on  that  side,  nor  any  fresh  air  come  to  it ;  for  which 
reason  it  is  so  damp,  tliat  you  cannot  put  any  piece 
of  furniture  in  that  part  without  its  being  in  four  days 
completely  covered  with  mould.  I  leave  you  to  think 
how  this  must  act  upon  the  human  body ;  and,  in 
short,  the  greater  part  of  it  is  rather  a  dungeon  for 
base  and  abject  criminals,  than  a  habitation  lit  for  a 
person  of  my  quality,  or  even  of  a  much  lower.  I 
am  sure  that  there  is  not  a  nobleman  in  this  king- 
dom, nor  even  one  of  those  who,  being  inferior  to  no- 
blemen, wish  to  reduce  me  beneath  themselves,  who 
would  not  deem  it  a  tyrannical  punishment  to  be  ob- 
liged to  live  for  a  year  in  so  straightened  and  incon- 
venient a  habitation,  as  they  want  to  force  and  con- 
strain me  to  do  ;  and  the  only  apartments  that  I  have 
for  my  own  person,  consists  —  and  for  the  truth  of  this, 
I  can  appeal  to  all  those  who  have  been  here  —  of  two 
little,  miserable  rooms,  so  excessively  cold,  especially 
at  night,  that  but  for  the  ramparts  and  entrenchments 
of  curtains  of  tapestry  which  I  have  made  here,  it 
would  not  be  possible  for  me  to  stay  in  them  in  the 
day-time ;  and  out  of  those  who  have  sat  up  with  me 
at  night  during  my  illness,  scarcely  one  has  escaped 
without  fluxion,  or  cold,  or  some  disorder.  Sir  Amy- 
as  can  bear  witness  that  he  has  seen  three  of  my  wo- 
men ill  at  once  from  this  cause  alone  ;  and  my  physi- 
cian himself,  w^ho  has  had  his  share  of  it,  has  several 


384: 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


times  positively  declared  that  he  will  not  take  charge 
of  my  health  during  the  next  winter,  if  I  am  to  re- 
main in  this  house.  As  for  replastering  or  in  any  way 
repairing  or  enlarging  it,  you  may  conceive  how 
w^holesome  it  would  be  for  me  to  live  in  such  new 
pieces  of  patchwork,  when  I  cannot  endure  the  least 
breath  of  damp  air  in  the  world ;  and  on  this  account 
it  is  of  no  use  whatever  to  offer  me  to  make  any  re- 
pairs or  any  new  conveniences  against  the  winter.  As 
for  the  house  to  which  it  is  proposed  that  I  should  re- 
move during  the  said  rej^airs,  it  is  a  building  attached, 
as  it  were,  to  this  ;  and  my  keeper  can  testify  that  it  is 
not  in  his  power  to  lodge  the  few  servants  I  have  ; 
and,  without  them,  I  have  too  many  reasons  to  be 
afraid  of  living  thus  apart,  wherefore,  at  this  time,  I 
will  say  no  more.  If  I  must  proceed  to  inconvenien- 
ces, I  have  not,  as  I  heretofore  informed  you,  any  gal- 
lery or  cabinet,  to  retire  to  occasionally  alone,  except- 
ing two  paltry  holes,  with  windows  facing  the  dark, 
surrounding  wall,  and  the  largest  of  them  not  above 
a  fathom  and  a  half  square.  For  taking  the  air 
abroad,  on  foot,  or  in  my  chaise,  (there  being  no  vacant 
spot  on  the  top  of  the  hill,)  I  have  only  about  a  quar- 
ter of  an  acre  of  ground,  contiguous  to  the  stables, 
which  Sommer  had  dug  up  last  winter,  and  enclosed 
with  a  fence  of  dry  wood  ;  a  place,  to  look  at,  fitter 
to  keep  pigs  in,  than  to  bear .  the  name  of  garden ; 
there  is  not  a  sheep-pen  amid  the  fields  but  makes  a 
better  appearance. 

"As  for  taking  exercise  on  horseback,  during  the 
whole  winter,  as  I  experienced,  sometimes  snow,  some- 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  385 


times  rain,  break  up  the  roads  in  sucli  a  manner,  that 
there  is  no  house  containing  so  many  people  of  the 
lower  sort  as  this  does,  which  can  be  kept  clean  long, 
whatever  pains  may  be  taken  with  it.  Then,  again, 
this  house,  having  no  drains  to  the  privies,  is  subject 
to  a  continual  stench ;  and  every  Saturday  they  are 
obliged  to  empty  them  and  the  one  beneath  my  win- 
dows, from  which  I  receive  a  perfume  not  the  most 
agreeable.  And  if,  to  the  above,  I  may  be  permitted 
the  opinion  which  I  have  conceived  of  this  house,  a 
thing  to  be  considered  in  the  case  of  persons  inferior 
in  station  to  me  when  in  ill  health,  I  will  say,  that  as 
this  house  has  been  my  first  prison  and  place  of  con- 
finement in  this  kingdom,  where,  from  the  first,  I  have 
been  treated  with  a  great  harshness,  rudeness,  and  in- 
dignity, so  have  I  always  held  it  since  to  be  unlucky 
and  unfortunate,  as  last  winter,  before  coming  hither, 
I  caused  to  be  represented  to  the  said  Queen  of  Eng- 
land ;  and  in  this  sinister  opinion  I  have  been  not  a 
little  confirmed  by  the  accident  of  the  priest,  who, 
after  having  been  grievously  tormented,  was  found 
hanging  from  the  wall  opposite  to  my  windows,* 
about  which  I  wrote  to  you.  Monsieur  de  Mauvissiere ; 
and  then,  four  or  five  days  afterward,  another  poor 
man  was  found  who  had  tumbled  into  the  well ;  but 
this  I  did  not  mean  to  compare  with  the  other.  Then 

*  The  Catholic  priest  here  mentioned  had  been  persecuted  on  ac- 
count of  his  religion;  and,  to  escape  further  hardships,  he  hung 
himself  in  the  manner  described  by  Mary,  who,  on  the  occasion, 
addressed  to  Elizabeth  an  eloquent  letter  on  the  duty  of  permitting 
toleration^  which  is  to  be  found  in  Laboureur's  work. 
%^     Cl*  26 


386 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


I  have  lost  my  good  Hallaj,  who  was  one  of  the  chief 
consolations  of  my  captivity  ;  another  of  my  servants 
is  since  dead,  and  several  more  have  been  sorely 
troubled  with  illness. 

"  So  I  cannot  have  any  convenience  or  enjoyment 
here  ;  and,  but  for  the  express  assurances  which  the 
said  Queen,  my  good  sister,  gave  me,  of  honorable 
treatment,  and  which  caused  me  to  wait  for  it  with 
patience  till  now,  I  never  would  have  set  foot  in  this 
place  ;  sooner  should  they  have  dragged  me  to  it  by 
force,  as  I  now  protest  that  nothing  but  the  force  of 
constraint  makes  me  stay  here,  and  that,  in  case  my 
life  should  be  cut  short  by  illness,  from  this  time,  I 
impute  it  to  the  deficiency  of  my  dwelling,  and  to 
those  wlio  are  determined  to  keep  me  there,  with  the 
intention,  it  would  seem,  to  make  me  wholly  despair 
for  the  future  of  the  good  will  of  the  said  Queen,  m}^ 
good  sister,  in  matters  of  importance  ;  since,  in  such 
reasonable,  ordinary  wants,  I  am  so  ill-used,  and  prom- 
ises made  to  me  are  not  kept.  To  allege  that  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  is  already  too  far  advanced,  and  the 
time  too  short  to  provide  a  new  habitation  for  me,  as 
if  I  had  not  long  ago  made  remonstrances  on  the  sub- 
ject, i«  to  forget  that,  at  the  time  my  secretary  was 
there,  he  spoke  about  it  very  urgently  to  the  Queen, 
my  good  sister,  and  left  a  memorial,  at  his  departure, 
for  Mr.  Walsyngham.  Since  then,  the  point  has  been 
urged  anew  by  Sommer,  as  well  as  by  a  message  from 
my  own  lips,  as  by  a  memorial  which  was  given  to 
him,  whereupon,  I  am  told  that  the  memorial  was  de- 
livered to  you,  Mr.  de  Mauvissiere,  and  that  the  fault 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


387 


lies  in  your  not  liaving  followed  it  up  ;  nevertheless, 
1  have  written  to  you  several  times,  and  myself  solicit- 
ed Sir  Amyas  about  it,  so  that  no  trouble  has  been 
spared  on  that  head. 

''As  to  the  inconveniences  of  removal  at  this  sea- 
son, and  for  the  provisions  requisite  to  be  made,  they 
did  not  stand  last  year  upon  such  ceremony,  when 
they  obliged  me  to  leave  Sheffield  for  Winkfield,  and 
Winkfield  for  this  place,  in  tlie  depth  of  winter,  when 
I  was  scarcely  able  to  turn  in  bed,  which  I  had  kept 
for  nearly  three  months  before.  This  house,  which 
had  not  been  inhabited  for  the  space  of  fifteen  or  six- 
teen years,  was,  at  that  time,  prepared  in  less  than 
five  weeks,  and,  such  as  it  was,  they  lost  no  time  in 
bringing  me  to  it,  no  matter  whether  with  or  without 
my  consent.  However,  I  afiPectionately  beg  you  both 
to  insist  more  urgently  and  perseveringly  than  ever, 
in  the  name  of  the  King,  monsieur  my  good  brother, 
and  on  my  own  behalf,  on  my  removal  from  this  house 
and  the  conveniences  which,  from  the  foregoing,  you 
may  judge  necessary  in  the  new  one  that  shall  be 
appointed  for  me  ;  and  do  not  be  put  ofiP,  if  you 
please,  with  excuses,  evasions,  or  fair  words  that  may 
be  given  you,  if  they  are  not  to  the  efi*ect  that  is  ca- 
pable of  satisfying  and  contenting  me  in  this  matter. 
Insist,  also,  by  all  means,  I  beg  you,  on  permission 
for  the  Sieur  de  Cherelles  to  come  to  me,  reminding 
the  said  Queen,  my  good  sister,  how  she  w^as  pleased, 
till  last  winter,  to  allow  me  to  have  some  one  over 
every  year  to  give  me  an  account  of  my  afifairs,  as  it 
is  very  requisite,  and  more  than  reasonable,  especially 


338 


MAKT     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


considering  the  state  in  wliicli  they  are  at  present, 
from  the  attacks  that  are  daily  made  upon  my  rights, 
and  the  hindrances  and  annoyances  that  are  given 
me  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  little  which  is  left  me  of 
my  dowry,  one-third  of  which,  and  more,  has  already 
been  wrested  from  me  by  2)iecemeal ;  and  it  is  not  in 
my  power  to  aj)ply  a  remedy,  and  set  things  to 
rights,  unless  I  can  be  minutely  informed  of  the  par- 
ticulars by  some  trusty  person,  who,  it  is  well  known, 
would  not  attempt  to  write  to  me  by  letters  wliich 
must  pass  through  so  many  hands,  neither  would  I 
thus  openly  inform  them  of  my  intentions.  There  is 
no  criminal  or  prisoner,  how^ever  mean,  who  is  not 
permitted  to  receive  accounts  of  his  private  affairs, 
and  to  manage  them  as  he  pleases,  prisons  having 
never  been  designed  for  the  punishment  of  malefac- 
tors, but  only  for  safe  custody  ;  and  it  seems,  on  the 
contrary,  that,  as  for  me,  born  a  sovereign  Queen,  who 
sought  refuge  in  this  kingdom  upon  the  assurance 
and  promise  of  friendship,  they  w^ish  to  make  this 
imprisonment  drive  me  from  affliction  to  the  very 
last  extremity,  as  if  it  were  not  sufficient  that,  after 
seventeen  of  the  best  years  of  my  life  spent  in  such 
misery,  I  have  lost  the  use  of  my  limbs,  and  the 
strength  and  health  of  the  rest  of  the  body,  and  that 
various  attacks  have  been  made  upon  my  honor, 
but  they  must  persecute  me  in  the  bargain,  and 
abridge  me  as  much  as  possible  of  the  property  and 
conveniences  yet  left  me  in  the  world.  Learn,  then, 
if  you  please,  gentlemen,  if  the  Queen,  my  good  sis- 
ter, intends  to  treat  me  in  future  like  a  condemned 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  389 

criminal,  and  to  keep  me  in  perpetual  imprisonment, 
as  it  would  appear  from  the  severity  with  wliich  I 
am  used,  without  getting  rid  of  me  altogether  by  giv- 
ing me  my  liberty,  (from  which,  agreeably  to  the  con- 
ditions which  I  offered,  she  would  derive  more  advan- 
tage than  she  ever  will  from  my  detention  or  death,) 
or,  on  the  other  hand,  affording  me  occasion  to  ac- 
commodate myself  to  her  satisfaction  in  captivity. 
My  requests  are  not  made  for  pleasure,  but  from  ne- 
cessity, not  against  her  safety,  but  for  her  honor,  and 
such,  I  may  say,  as  I  have  more  than  justly  merited. 
"What  encouragement  to  do  better  can  it  be  to  me  to 
see  myself,  after  the  entire  voluntary  submission  to 
which  I  made  up  my  mind,  more  harshly  and  rigor- 
ously treated  than  ever,  and  with  more  demonstration, 
in  appearance  and  reality,  of  ill  will,  suspicion,  and 
mistrust. 

"  I  had  more  servants,  when  I  was  with  the  Earl 
of  Shereusbury  than  I  have  now,  when  I  have  more 
need  of  them,  especially  in  my  chamber,  on  account 
of  the  aggravation  of  my  bodily  ailments.  Reckon 
up  those  whom  I  have  discharged,  or  who  have  died 
without  my  having,  as  yet,  any  others  in  their  place, 
and  that  family  of  my  embroiderer  who  is  about  to 
leave  me  ;  the  number  of  those  whom  I  require  will 
not  be  much  greater,  nor  superior  in  quality,  except- 
ing the  Countess  of  Athol,  for  whom,  also,  I  applied 
as  a  favor,  because  I  had  about  me  here,  in  this  soli- 
tude, as  I  represented,  no  companion  worthy  of  my 
rank  and  my  age,  which  would  be  highly  proper  and 
suitable.    Seton  and  my  good  Kallay  formerly  sup- 


390 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


plied  the  want  of  better,  and  I  cannot  imagine  any 
sufficient  reason  for  denying  me  the  said  countess  in 
their  stead,  unless  they  are  fearful  that  she  may  give 
me  some  consolation,  by  bringing  me  tidings  of  my 
son ;  whether  in  this  there  be  any  respect  for  hu- 
manity, I  leave  all  those  to  consider,  who  have  really 
felt  parental  love  for  their  children,  which  is  the 
more  fervent  in  me,  because  my  separation  from  my 
son  is  accompanied  by  so  rigid  a  prohibition  of  all 
communication  between  him  and  me,  that  I  am  de- 
barred even  from  hearing  about  his  state  and  health. 
I  will  not  hereupon  call  to  mind  that  the  said  Queen 
promised  nae,  last  winter,  that  if  the  answer  of  my 
son  to  the  letter  which  I  was  writing  to  him,  did  not 
satisfy  and  content  me,  I  should  have  permission  to 
send  to  him  again,  and  to  learn  more  precisely  his 
intentions  relative  to  those  matters  which  have  been 
in  doubt  between  him  and  me.  Nevertheless,  this 
has  hitherto  been  peremptorily  refused  and  denied 
me,  without  consideration  that  such  conduct  tends  to 
confirm  the  intimation  given  me  formerly  by  the  said 
Gray,  that  in  this  quarter  people  were  only  striving 
to  produce  division  and  a  total  separation  between 
my  son  and  me.  "With  respect  to  the  other  servants 
whom  I  have  applied  for,  such  as  Fontenay,  and 
Thomas  Levingston,  I  cannot  discover  any  ground  for 
the  refusal  made  me,  unless  it  be  that,  as  formerly, 
the  said  Gray,  at  the  time  of  his  journey  to  this  coun- 
try, and  the  Countess  of  Sliereusbury  assured  me,  the 
right  way  to  cause  anything  whatever  to  be  denied 
me,  was  to  signify  that  it  would  be  particularly  agree- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


391 


able  to  me,  and  tlien  I  must  never  expect  to  have  it, 
but  just  the  contrary  to  what  I  desired.  They  do  not 
approve  of  my  employing  English,  in  order  to  make 
it  appear  more  plainly  that  I  am  looked  upon  as  an 
absolute  foreigner  in  their  country  ;  at  least  tliey 
ought  to  allow  me  to  have  my  own  subjects,  or  French 
people,  such  as  I  like,  and  to  receive  from  their  faith- 
ful service  some  consolation  between  these  four  walls, 
where,  being  confined  and  watched  so  closely  as  they 
are  accustomed  to  be,  I  know  not  what  just  suspicion 
can  be  conceived  of  them  when  once  shut  up  here. 
However,  I  beg  you  to  make  very  urgent  application 
that  I  may  be  permitted  to  send  for  those  whom  I  have 
demanded,  as  well  from  France  as  from  Scotland, 
according  to  the  promise  made  to  me  by  the  lips  of 
the  said  Queen,  my  good  sister  herself,  that  I  should 
have  an  increase  and  supply  of  servants  ;  a  promise 
confirmed  to  my  secretary  by  Mr.  Walsyngliam,  and 
since,  in  his  name,  by  Wadde,  having  given  it  in  wri- 
ting to  my  said  secretary,  and  again  by  Sir  Raff  Sad- 
ler and  Sommer,  when  there,  and  lately  by  my  pres- 
ent keeper,  being  assured  in  these  very  words,  that  I 
might  send  to  France  and  Scotland  for  such  servants 
as  I  thought  proper,  but  that  I  must  not  have  English 
on  any  account.  If  they  are  afraid,  lest,  by  means 
of  the  said  servants  whom  I  desire  to  bring  over  from 
France,  I  should  receive  news  of  the  affairs  of  that 
country,  it  is  a  vain  apprehension,  for  I  have  nothing 
wherein  to  intermeddle  there,  and  if  I  had  any  inter- 
est, it  is  very  certain  that  those  who  might  be  well 
affected  toward  me,  and  have  compassion  on  my  con- 


392 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


dition  here,  will  not  take  one  step  less,  either  forward 
or  backward,  because  they  are  deprived  of  the  means 
of  receiving  news  from  me,  and  I  from  them ;  on  the 
contrary,  that  would  spur  them  on  still  more,  appre- 
hending the  danger  from  the  death  to  be  greater  than, 
perad venture,  it  is. 

"  This  is,  for  the  present,  what  I  have  to  communi- 
cate to  you  on  the  sudden,  concerning  the  just  dissatis- 
faction I  feel  on  finding  myself  so  unworthily  used  and 
treated  ;  wherefore,  hoping,  through  your  favorable 
intercessions  and  good  offices,  to  find  some  remedy,  I 
shall  only  apologize  for  having  troubled  you  about 
such  bagatelles,  and  especially  for  being  obliged  to 
make  known  to  you  my  real  state  here,  which  otherwise 
might  be  disguised  from  you ;  so,  awaiting  your  an- 
swer about  all  this,  I  pray  God  to  have  you,  gentle- 
men, in  his  holy  and  worthy  keeping.  Written  at  the 
Castle  of  Tuthbury,  in  England,  the  vth  September, 
1585.  Your  entirely  best  friend, 

"  Maey  E. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  ashamed  to  be  under  the  neces- 
sity of  representing  to  you  so  particularly  my  mise- 
rable situation  here,  but  the  evil  presses  me,  and  con- 
strains me  to  declare  it  to  you,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  put  you  off,  yonder,  with  words  without  affording 
me  any  relief,  of  which  I  have  no  hope  whatever, 
since  I  see  nothing  at  this  time  which  tends  to  realize 
that  honorable  treatment  which  has  been  so  much 
talked  of.  Sir  Amyas  had  already  signified  to  me 
the  reply  to  my  memorial,  and  an  hour  ago  I  re- 
ceived your  last,  and  on  considering  both,  T  find,  in 


ulary  queen  of  scots. 


393 


fact,  no  cause  for  content,  either  in  the  one  or  the 
other,  which  makes  me  entreat  you  more  earnestly 
than  ever,  to  follow  up  the  contents  of  the  above 
letter." 

She  also  addressed  a  memorial  to  Elizabeth,  in 
which  the  following  particulars  confirm  the  state- 
ments above : 

"  That,  to  settle  those  matters  which  formerly  led 
to  differences  between  her  and  her  son,  she  may  be 
permitted  to  send  some  one  to  him,  accompanied  by 
the  French  ambassador,  agreeably  to  the  most  express 
commission  which  he  has  to  this  eff'ect  from  the  King, 
his  master. 

"  That  the  ordinary  communication  which  she  has 
hitherto  had  with  the  said  ambassador  may  be  con- 
tinued ;  and,  accordingly,  directions  given  for  the 
most  diligent  dispatch  of  their  packets,  as  well  on  the 
one  part  as  on  the  other ;  nothing  passing  between 
them  that  can  in  any  way  prove  prejudicial  to  this 
kingdom. 

"  That  her  household  establishment  here  be  deter- 
mined upon  and  fixed;  in  order  that,  as  the  said 
Queen,  her  good  sister,  has  been  pleased  to  assure  her, 
she  may  take  her  into  her  ow^n  keeping,  and  into  her 
own  house  :  also,  that  from  her  alone,  she  may  receive 
her  allowance  in  this  country. 

"  That  a  second  house  may  be  granted  her  to  re- 
move to  on  finishing  her  course  of  diet,  or  next  au- 
tumn, at  latest ;  it  being  quite  impossible,  without 
great  detriment  to  her  health,  to  live  in  winter  in  the 


394 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


two  rooms  wliicli  she  has  here  for  the  whole  of  her 
lodgings,  which  are  built  of  wood,  old,  full  of  holes, 
and  tumbling  down  on  all  sides,  and  having  no  shel- 
tered place  whatever,  to  walk  in  or  retire  to. 

"  Tliat,  in  regard  to  the  servants  allowed  her,  and 
that  they  may  not  have  the  trouble  of  traveling  hither 
in  vain,  it  be  declared  whether  she  shall  be  permitted 
to  bring  over  any  she  may  choose,  as  she  might  se- 
lect some  from  the  household  of  Guise,  having  no 
other  acquaintance  in  France  through  whom  to  get 
them. 

"And  that,  as  for  ordinary  varlets,  her  servants 
may  be  permitted  to  employ  Englishmen,  so  as  to 
avoid  the  frequent  coming  and  going  of  such  per- 
sons, whom  it  is  difficult  to  retain." 

The  wretched  Mary  was  a  deserted  invalid,  mourn- 
ing over  the  unfilial  conduct  of  James  YI.,  who  had 
entered  upon  a  negotiation,  contemplating  the  alli- 
ance, by  treaty,  of  Scotland  to  England.  She  be- 
came passionately  excited  at  his  course,  and  threat- 
ened to  diso^vn,  disinherit,  and  curse  him ;  approving 
any  invasion  of  his  realm  by  foreign  powers.  She 
declared  that  she  had  no  wish  again  to  step  upon  her 
native  soil ;  and  asked  only  for  repose  of  body  and 
soul,  before  her  death,  which,  she  was  persuaded, 
would  soon  end  her  captivity. 

Abandoning  the  hope  of  escape,  she  forcibly  and 
laconically  described  her  desperate  state  in  these 
words : 

Tlie  old  excuses  of  bygone  times  are  alleged  for 


MART    QTJEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


395 


my  detention  ;  now  a  change  in  Scotland,  now  a  dis- 
turbance in  France,  now  the  discovery  of  a  conspi- 
racy in  this  country,  and,  in  fine,  the  least  innovation 
that  may  occur  in  any  part  of  Christendom ;  so  that 
it  is  likely  I  shall  be  liberated,  as  children  say,  wlien 
all  the  world  is  at  peace  and  quietness.  May  God  in 
his  omnipotence  be  my  aid  and  protection ;  and  may 
he  in  his  justice  judge  my  cause  between  me  and  my 
enemies,  as  I  hope  he  will  do  sooner  or  later."* 

December,  1585,  Mary  was  taken  from  Tutbury 
to  Chartley,  in  Staffordshire.  Though  treated  more 
kindly,  she  was  watched  with  no  less  constancy  and 
care. 

"While  Mary  Stuart  thus  languished  in  prison, 
friends  to  her  and  the  ancient  faith  she  professed,  were 
busy  with  fresh  plots  for  her  deliverance.  The  Eng- 
lish refugees  and  proscribed  priests  in  the  pay  of 

*  The  sorrowful  lines,  in  her  favorite  language,  composed  during 
tliis  imprisonment,  will  interest  the  French  reader : 

"Que  suis-je,  helas  !  et  de  quoy  sert  ma  vie? 
Je  ne  suis  fors  qu'un  corps  prive  de  cueur 
Un  ombre  vain,  un  objet  de  malheur. 
Qui  n'a  plus  rien  que  de  mourir  envie. 
Plus  ne  portez,  o  ennemis,  d'auvie 
A  qui  n'a  plus  I'esprit  a  la  grandeurl 
La  consomm6  d'exeessive  doulleur; 
Votre  ire  en  brief  se  voirra  assouvie  ; 
Et  vous  amys,  qui  m'avez  tenu  ch^re, 
Souvenez-vous  que  sans  heur,  sans  santay, 
Je  ne  s^aurois  auqun  bon  oeuvre  fayre, 
Souhatez  done  fin  de  calamitay ; 
Et  que  sa  bas  estant  assez  punie 
J' aye  ma  part  en  la  joye  infinie." 


396 


M  A  K  Y    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Philip  II.,  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  for  invading  the 
kingdom  and  dethroning  Elizabeth.  Past  experience 
stimulated  rather  than  daunted  a  faction,  whose  mis- 
sion was  -also  the  spread  of  a  persecuting  and  corrupt 
church. 

John  Savage,  an  English  Catholic,  returning  from 
an  official  service  in  the  Spanish  army,  at  Pheims,  met 
Dr.  William  GifFord,  a  countryman  and  Papist,  who 
suggested,  as  the  highest  deed  of  pious  bravery  in  his 
power,  the  assassination  of  Elizabeth — the  prelude  to  a 
maturing  plan  of  invasion.  He  accepted  the  honor, 
and  was  to  shoot  or  stab  the  Queen,  in  the  gallery 
through  which  she  passed  to  and  from  chapel. 

But  before  he  could  attempt  the  execution  of  his 
purpose,  a  priest,  named  Ballard,  arrived  in  London, 
May  22d,  1585,  on  the  same  mission-.  Encountering 
Anthony  Babington,  a  gentleman  of  fortune  and  gay 
life,  who  had  been  for  years  devoted  to  Mary  Stuart, 
Ballard  proposed  to  him  the  plot.  He  entered  into  it 
enthusiastically,  and  associated  with  him  Savage  and 
five  of  his  own  friends.  Walsingham,  the  English 
minister,  had  arranged  a  complete  system  of  espion- 
age, and  scarcely  had  the  conspirators  assembled, 
when  his  agents  were  without  suspicion  admitted  to 
their  councils.  Pie  also  communicated  to  Mary  Stu- 
art,through  a  treacherous  Catholic  priest,  the  secret 
designs  against  Elizabeth,  to  secure  her  approval,  and 
the  inevitable  doom  which  would  follow  ;  and  so  rid 
the  realm  of  the  dreaded  captive. 

During  the  summer,  Gifford,  Walsingham's  spy, 
was  busy,  preparing  the  way  of  access  to  Mary's  par- 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


307 


tizans  and  herself.  He  at  length  obtained  the  necessa- 
ry confidence  among  the  Papists  of  London,  and  letters 
of  introduction  to  the  prisoner  at  Chartley.  In  March, 
1586,  he  returned  from  an  interview  with  Mary,  the 
accepted  messenger  of  the  fatally  deluded  victim  o'f 
ambition  and  Catholic  zeal.  The  ignis  fatuus  of  false 
hope  again  dawned  before  her  fading  eye,  and  her 
pantings  after  freedom  impelled  her  on  to  ruin.  This 
was  the  opening  work  in  the  celebrated  "  Babington 
Conspiracy."  Tlie  presiding  genius  of  the  daring 
machination,  thus  expressed  his  plans,  in  a  letter 
which  Gifford  transmitted  to  Walsingham: 

"  Myself  in  j)erson,  with  ten  gentlemen  and  a  hun- 
dred others  of  our  company  and  suite,  will  undertake 
the  deliverance  of  your  royal  person  from  the  hands 
of  your  enemies.  As  regards  getting  rid  of  the  usur- 
per, from  subjection  to  wdiom  we  are  absolved,  by  the 
act  of  excommunication  issued  against  her,  there  are 
six  gentlemen  of  quality,  all  of  them  my  intimate 
friends,  who,  for  the  love  they  bear  to  the  Catholic 
cause  and  to  your  majesty's  service,  will  undertake 
the  tragic  execution.  It  remains  now,  that,  according 
to  their  infinite  desert,  and  your  majesty's  goodness, 
their  heroic  enterprise  should  be  honorably  recom- 
pensed in  themselves,  if  they  escape  with  their  lives, 
or  in  their  posterity,  if  they  fall ;  and  that  I  may  give 
them  this  assurance  by  your  majesty's  authority." 

Poor  Mary  was  in  the  snares  of  the  artful  fowler. 
July  2Tth,  having  received  the  intercepted  letter,  she 
wrote  to  Babington  as  follows : 


898 


MART    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


Affairs  being  tlius  prepared,  then  shall  it  be  timo 
to  set  the  six  gentlemen  to  work ;  taking  order,  upon 
the  accomplishing  of  their  design,  I  may  suddenly  be 
transported  out  of  the  place,  and  that  all  your  forces, 
in  the  same  time,  be  on  the  field  to  meet  me,  whilst 
we  wait  the  arrival  of  help  from  abroad,  which  must 
then  be  hastened  with  all  diligence.  'Nor  for  that 
there  can  be  no  certain  day  appointed  of  the  accom- 
plishing the  said  gentlemen's  designment  —  to  the 
end  that  others  may  be  in  readiness  to  take  me 
from  hence,  I  would  that  the  said  gentlemen  had  al- 
ways about  them,  or  at  the  least,  at  court,  four  stout 
men  furnished  with  good  and  speedy  horses,  for,  so 
soon  as  the  said  design  shall  be  executed,  to  come  with 
all  diligence,  to  advertise  thereof  those  that  shall  be 
appointed  for  my  transporting  ;  to  the  end  that,  im- 
mediately thereafter,  they  may  be  at  the  place  of  my 
abode,  before  that  my  keeper  can  have  advice  of  the 
execution  of  the  said  design  ;  or  at  least  before  he  can 
fortify  himself  within  the  house,  or  carry  me  out  of 
the  same.  It  were  necessary  to  dispatch  two  or  three 
of  the  said  advertisers  by  divers  ways,  to  the  end  that 
if  one  be  staid,  the  other  may  come  through ;  and  at 
the  same  instant,  w^ere  it  also  needful,  to  essay  to  cut 
off  the  post's  ordinary  ways.  If  I  remain  here,  there 
is  for  my  escape  but  one  of  these  three  means  follow- 
ing to  be  looked  to.  The  first,  that  at  one  certain 
day  appointed,  in  my  walking  abroad  on  horseback 
on  the  moors,  betwixt  this  and  Stafford,  where  ordi- 
narily you  know  very  few  people  do  pass,  a  fifty  or 
three-score  horsemen,  well  horsed  and  armed,  come 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


399 


to  take  me  there ;  as  tliej  may  easily,  my  keeper 
having  with  him  ordinarily  but  eighteen  or  twenty 
horsemen.  The  second  mean  is  to  come  at  midnight, 
or  soon  after,  to  set  fire  in  the  barns  and  stables,  which 
yon  know  are  near  to  the  house ;  and  whilst  that  my 
guardian's  servants  shall  rush  forth  to  the  fire,  your 
company  (having  every  one  a  mark  whereby  they 
may  know  one  another  under  night,)  might  surprise  the 
house,  where  I  hope,  with  the  few  servants  I  have 
about  me,  I  were  able  to  give  you  correspondence. 
And  the  third  :  some  that  bring  carts  hither,  ordina- 
rily coming  early  in  the  morning  ;  their  carts  might 
be  so  prepared,  and  with  such  cart-leaders,  that  being 
cast  in  the  midst  of  the  great  gate,  the  cart  might  fall 
down  or  overwhelm,  and  that  thereupon  you  might 
come  suddenly  with  your  followers  to  make  yourself 
master  of  the  house,  and  carry  me  away." 

When  Walsingham  had  possessed  himself  of  all 
the  proofs  required,  and  the  track  of  each  conspira- 
tor, he  informed  Elizabeth  of  the  terrible  intrigues 
around  her  throne.  She  was  alarmed,  and  ordered 
an  immediate  arrest  of  the  guilty  men.  With  mani- 
fold difficulties  and  partial  failures,  the  leaders  were 
secured  in  the  Tower.  Walsingham  now  was  ready 
to  treat  Mary  Stuart  as  their  accomplice.  According 
to  an  unsuspected  arrangement,  she  was  invited  to 
join  a  hunting  party  in  a  neighboring  park  ;  she  glad- 
ly accepted.  It  was  on  the  8th  of  August ;  and  while 
riding  away  from  Chartley,  Sir  Thomas  Gorges  ap- 
peared before  her,  informed  her  of  the  discovered 


4:00  MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

conspiracy,  and  of  orders  to  conduct  her  to  Tixall 
Castle,  whose  grounds  were  the  sporting  field  in  view, 
The  astonished  Queen  was  silent  awhile,  then  with 
great  vehemence  indulged  in  bitter  reproaches,  and 
inquired  of  her  attendants  if  they  would  permit  the 
disgraceful  capture,  without  an  effort  to  defend  her 
person.  She  was  led  to  the  fortress,  confined  in  a 
small  apartment,  and  allowed  to  see  none  but  stran- 
gers. During  the  absence  of  seventeen  days  from 
Chartley,  her  desks  were  opened  by  Wood  and  Pau- 
let,  who  transmitted  her  papers,  jewelry  and  money 
to  Elizabeth.  The  Queen  of  England  was  relieved, 
and  joyful ;  and  thanked  extravagantly  the  Yandals 
for  their  pillage.  August  25th,  when  with  a  large 
escort  of  horsemen  she  reentered  Chartley,  the  spec- 
tacle of  her  desolate  room  kindled  her  indignation, 
and  she  exclaimed,  "  There  are  two  things  which  the 
Queen  of  England  can  never  take  from  me  —  the 
blood  royal  which  gives  me  a  right  to  the  succession 
of  England,  and  the  attachment  which  makes  my 
heart  beat  for  the  religion  of  my  fathers." 

Babington,  Ballard  and  Savage,  were  condemned 
for  treason,  and  to  make  their  fate  the  more  influen- 
tial in  deterring  others  from  similar  crimes,  they  were 
put  to  the  torture,  and  made  the  targets  of  royal 
vengeance. 

September  20th,  with  their  confederates,  they  were 
taken  to  St.  Giles-in-fields,  where  they  had  held  their 
meetings,  and  there  drawn  and  quartered  in  the  sight 
of  a  horror-smitten  populace.  Elizabeth  accumula- 
ted evidence  of  Mary's  guilt,  and  yet  the  fear  of  for- 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  401 

eign  interference,  and  the  enmity  of  powerful  friends 
of  tlie  prisoner,  created  hesitation  and  conflicting 
emotions,  before  she  decided  to  bring  her  to  trial. 

Mary  no  longer  fanned  the  embers  of  hope ;  slie 
wept  at  the  threshold  of  her  last  earthly  trial,  whose 
issues  would  deliver  np  to  the  final  audit,  that  ar- 
raigns alike  Kings  and  serfs,  her  eventful  career. 


26 


CHAPTER  IX. 


MARl  OTCART  IS  ARRAIGNED  BEFORE  THE  HIGH  COURT  OF  JUSTICE  —  SCTNiS 

OF  THE  TRIAL  ELIZABETH  HESITATES  TO  PRONOUNCE  THE  SENTENCE  OF 

DEATH,  ACCORDING  TO  THE  UNANIMOUS  VOICE  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS  

THE  RESULT  OF  THE  TRIAL  IS  ANNOUNCED  TO  MART  LETTERS  TO  FRIENDS 

 HER  LAST  MESSAGE  TO  ELIZABETH  INTERFERENCE  OF  FOREIGN  COURTS 

 UNNATURAL  CONDUCT  OF  JAMES  VL  ELIZABETH  SIGNS  THE  WARRANT 

OF  Mary's  execution  —  paulet  refuses  to  slay  his  prisoner  private- 
ly THE  OFFICERS  OF  JUSTICE  REPAIR  TO  FOTHERINGAY  CASTLE  THE 

SCENES  THERE  THE  WARRANT  IS  READ  TO  MARY  HER  REPLY  AF- 
FECTING INTERVIEWS  HER  LAST  NIGHT  WRITES  HER  WILL  PROSPECT 

OF  DEATH. 

IsTiNETEEN  years  of  captivity  had  worn  away,  and 
Mary  Stuart's  death,  which  had  been  often  suggested 
and  anxiously  desired,  was  the  theme  of  grave  and 
final  discussion  between  Elizabeth  and  her  privy 
council.  Closer  imprisonment  was  urged  in  opposi- 
tion to  capital  punishment.  But  the  consideration  of 
the  safety  of  the  Queen  of  England,  and  the  triumph 
of  Protestantism,  decided  the  vote  for  a  public  trial, 
and  judicial  sentence.  The  statute  under  which  the 
prisoner  was  arraigned,  was  the  law  passed  after  the 
act  of  association  expired,  the  year  before,  conferring 
the  power  to  prosecute  and  execute  any  person  who 
should  assert  a  right  to  the  English  throne,  or  engage 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


403 


in  plots  to  wrest  the  crown  from  the  brow  of  Eliza- 
beth. This  was  more  plausible  than  the  statute  of 
Edward  III.,  on  high  treason. 

Mary  was  indicted  October  5th,  15S6,  before  a 
court  of  state  officers,  peers,  and  counselors  of  the 
sovereign.  The  whole  number  of  eminent  names  in 
the  tribunal  was  forty-six.  Fortheringay  Castle,  in 
^Northamptonshire,  was  selected  as  the  place  of  trial. 
Mary  Stuart  was  escorted  to  the  fortress  the  next  day, 
where  she  received  a  letter  from  Elizabeth,  repeating 
her  cutting  accusations,  and  urging  her  to  submit  to 
the  course  of  justice.  Turning  to  Paulet  and  Mild- 
may,  her  keeper  and  privy  counselor,  she  said,  with 
great  emotion  and  resentment : 

"  What !  does  your  mistress  not  know  that  I  am  a 
Queen  born?  Does  she  think  that  I  will  degrade  my 
rank,  my  condition,  the  race  from  which  I  s]3ring,  the 
son  who  is  to  succeed  me,  the  foreign  kings  and  prin- 
ces whose  i-ights  would  be  injured  in  my  person,  by 
obeying  such  a  letter  as  that !  — ^^'ever !  Humbled  as 
I  may  seem,  my  heart  is  too  great  to  submit  to  any 
humiliation ! " 

She  added,  further,  that  she  was  deprived  of  her 
papers,  destitute  of  advisers,  and  surrounded  by  ene- 
mies ;  that  she  was  ignorant  of  the  laws  and  the  statutes 
of  the  kingdom,  where  she  must  look  in  vain  for  peers 
competent  to  try  her ;  and  finally  declared  that  she 
was  innocent.  "I  have  neither,"  she  said,  "directed 
nor  encouraged  any  attempt  against  your  mistress.  I 
am  certain  that  nothing  of  the  kind  can  be  proved 
against  me,  although  I  frankly  confess  that,  when  my 


404 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


sister  had  rejected  all  my  offers,  I  committed  myself 
and  my  cause  to  the  care  of  foreign  princes." 

Mary's  refusal  to  he  treated  as  a  criminal,  and  as- 
serting her  queenly  dignity,  did  not  foil  her  captor, 
who  ordered  the  commissioners  to  commence  the  in- 
vestigation ;  while,  to  obtain  consent  to  the  legal  or* 
deal,  she  wrote  the  desolate,  yet  proud  descendant  of 
Bruce,  in  this  strain  : 

"  You  have  tried  in  various  ways  to  take  my  life, 
and  to  ruin  my  kingdom  by  bloodshed.  I  have  never 
acted  so  harshly  towards  you,  but,  on^  the  contrary, 
have  preserved  you  as  if  you  were  my  second  self. 
Your  treasonable  acts  will  be  proved  and  made  man- 
ifest. For  this  reason,  our  pleasure  is  that  you  reply 
to  the  nobles  and  peers  of  my  kingdom,  as  you  would 
do  if  I  myself  were  present.  I  require  and  command 
you  to  do  this.  I  have  been  informed  of  your  arro- 
gance :  act  with  candor,  and  you  shall  be  treated  with 
greater  favor," 

Lord  Burghley  advised  Mary  to  yield  to  what  was 
inevitable  ;  and  after  a  night  of  mental  anguish  — ■ 
the  fierce  struggle  of  wounded  pride  with  resistless 
power  —  she  gave  her  consent  to  answer  her  j  udgea 
upon  the  charges  presented. 

October  14th,  followed  by  a  detachment  of  halber- 
diers, and  supported  by  her  maitre  d'hotel.  Sir  An- 
drew Melville,  and  her  physician,  Bourgoin,  for  she 
walked  with  great  difficulty,  she  descended  into  the 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


405 


great  hall  of  Fortheringay,  where  the  commissioners 
were  seated  in  the  form  of  a  com-t  of  justice.  At 
one  end  of  the  hall,  under  a  dais,  surmounted  by  the 
arms  of  England  alone,  stood,  in  an  elevated  position, 
an  arm-chair,  reserved  for  the  absent  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, and  which  remained  unoccupied.  On  each  side 
of  the  dais  were  ranged,  in  the  order  of  their  respec- 
tive dignities,  the  different  commissioners :  on  the 
right,  the  Lord  Chancellor  Bromley,  the  Lord  High 
Treasurer  Burghley,  the  Earls  of  Oxford,  Kent,  Der- 
by, Worcester,  Rutland,  Cumberland,  Warwick,  Pem- 
broke, Lincoln,  and  Yiscount  Montagu ;  on  the  left, 
Lords  Abergavenny,  Zouch,  Morley,  Stafford,  Grey, 
Lumley,  and  other  peers,  next  to  whom  were  the 
Lords  of  the  Privy  Council,  Crofts,  Hatton,  Walsing- 
hani,  Sadler,  Mildmay,  and  Paulet.  More  in  the 
front  were  placed,  on  the  right,  the  Chief  Justices  of 
England  and  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer,  and  on 
the  left,  the  other  judges  and  barons,  along  with  two 
doctors  of  civil  law.  In  the  centre  were  seated, 
around  a  table,  the  Queen's  Attorney  General,  Pop- 
ham  ;  her  Solicitor,  Egerton ;  her  Law  Sergeant, 
Gawdy ;  and  Thomas  Powell,  Clerk  of  the  Crown ; 
together  with  two  clerks  of  the  court,  to  write  out  the 
proceedings.  A  few  gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood 
who  were  allowed  to  be  present,  stood  at  the  bar.-^ 

The  helpless  Queen  was  undaunted  by  the  brilliant 
and  solemn  array  of  England's  statesmen  and  jurists, 
and  offered  her  salutations  with  the  mournful  air  of 


*  Mignet 


4:06 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


fallen  greatness,  and  tlie  gracefulness  of  perfect  re- 
finement. "When  led  to  tlie  velvet  chair  designed  for 
her,  and  set  without  the  royal  canoj)y,  slie  was  touched 
with  the  insult  to  her  dignity,  and  said  with  imperial 
tone,  "  I  am  a  Queen  ;  I  was  married  to  a  King  of 
France,  and  my  j)lace  should  be  there."  Then  glan- 
cing along  the  aisle  of  nobles  and  counselors,  she 
added,  "  Alas  !  there  are  a  great  number  of  counsel- 
ors here,  and  yet  not  one  of  them  is  for  me." 

Bromley,  the  Chancellor,  rose  as  Mary  Stuart  took 
her  seat,  and  opened  the  imposing  trial,  by  declaring 
the  iniperative  duty  the  cause  of  God  and  invaded 
authority  imposed  upon  Elizabeth,  to  arraign  and  try 
the  prisoner.  The  clerk  of  the  crown  followed  with 
the  reading  of  the  commission  of  the  court.  Mary, 
in  reply,  claimed  her  rights  as  a  princess,  and  accused 
her  rival  of  unkindly  abusing  her  confidence,  in  re- 
jecting all  overtures,  and  detaining  her  a  captive. 

Tlie  intercepted  letters,  and  the  confessions  of  the 
conspirators,  were  then  read.  Mary  immediately, 
and  without  the  slightest  embarrassment,  assailed  the 
testimony,  denying  its  validity,  because  the  documents 
were  copies  of  unproduced  originals,  and  the  deposi- 
tions were  those  of  men  whom  she  had  never  seen. 
She  summed  up  her  defence  in  these  words,  sighing 
deeply  while  she  proceeded : 

"  I  do  not  deny  having  wished  for  liberty,  and  hav- 
ing earnestly  tried  to  regain  it.  Nature  urged  me  to 
this ;  but  I  take  God  to  witness,  that  I  have  never 
conspired  against  the  life  of  the  Queen  of  England, 
and  that  I  never  approved  of  such  a  conspiracy.  I 


MART   QUEEN    O^"  SCOTS. 


407 


confess  that  I  wrote  to  my  friends,  soliciting  tlieir  aid 
in  delivering  me  from  tlie  wretched  prisons,  where  I 
have  been  held  captive  for  nineteen  3/ ears.  I  confess, 
too,  that  I  have  often  written  in  favor  of  the  persecu- 
ted Catholics,  and  that  if  I  could  have  delivered  them 
from  oppression  by  the  shedding  of  my  own  blood,  I 
would  have  done  it.  But  the  letters  produced  against 
me  were  not  written  by  me,  and  I  cannot  be  answerable 
for  the  dangerous  designs  of  desperate  persons,  who 
are  unknown  to  me." 

The  Lord  Treasurer  answered  with  a  close  analysis 
of  the  Babington  letter,  and  the  corroborative  evi- 
dence. Mary  adroitly  adhered  to  her  position,  and 
glanced  at  the  character  of  such  witnesses  as  she 
knew,  with  much  discrimination  and  sarcasm ;  and 
thus  closed  her  spirited  and  well  delivered  argument : 

"  And  am  I, a  Queen,  to  be  judged  guilty  on  such 
proofs  as  these  ?  Is  it  not  manifest,  that  there  must 
be  an  end  to  the  majesty  and  security  of  princes,  if 
they  are  made  to  depend  on  the  writings  and  the  tes- 
timony of  their  secretaries  ?  I  claim  the  privilege  of 
being  judged  from  my  own  words  and  my  OAvn  wri- 
tings, and  I  am  certain  that  none  will  be  found  against 
me." 

Upon  the  second  hearing  before  the  commissioners, 
Mary  did  not  repudiate  all  of  her  alleged  correspon- 
dence, but  still  protested  her  innocence.  She  said, I 
have  been  anxious  that  the  safety  of  the  Catholics 
should  be  provided  for,  but  I  never  wished  that  it  should 
be  obtained  by  means  of  bloodshed  and  murder.  I 
have  preferred  the  part  of  Esther  to  that  of  Judith,  seek- 


408 


MAKT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


ing  rather  to  intercede  witli  God  for  the  people,  than 
to  deprive  even  the  meanest  of  them  of  life." 

The  invasion  of  England  and  Elizabeth's  death,  it 
was  maintained,  were  connected  inseparably.  The 
prisoner  insisted  that  she  was  guiltless  of  any  design 
against  the  life  of  the  Queen  of  England :  with  the 
eloquence  of  finished  oratory  and  tears,  she  went  on 
to  say : 

"  With  what  justice  am  I  treated!  My  letters  have 
been  picked  out  and  perverted  from  their  original 
meaning,  and  the  originals  have  been  taken  from  me. 
1^0  consideration  is  shown  for  the  religion  which  I  pro- 
fess, and  the  sacred  character  I  bear  as  Queen.  If  my 
sentiments,  my  lords,  are  personally  indifferent  to 
you,  you  might  at  least  consider  the  majesty  of  roy- 
alty, which  is  injured  in  my  person,  and  think  of  the 
example  you  are  setting.  I  entered  this  country  con- 
fiding in  the  friendship  and  the  promises  of  the  Queen 
of  England,"  and  then,  taking  a  ring  from  her  finger, 
and  holding  it  up  to  her  judges,  "Here,  my  lords, 
here  is  the  pledge  of  love  and  protection  which  I  re- 
ceived from  your  royal  mistress.  Look  well  at  it.  It 
was  in  reliance  upon  this  that  I  came  among  you. 
Nobody  knows  better  than  yourselves  how  this  pledge 
has  been  respected."  She  then  demanded  to  be 
heard  before  Parliament,  or  to  have  an  interview  with 
Elizabeth,  and  added,  "As  one  who  is  accused  of 
crimes,  I  claim  the  privilege  of  an  advocate  to  plead 
my  cause ;  or  else,  as  a  Queen,  I  call  upon  you  to 
believe  the  word  of  a  Queen." 

After  this  appeal,  October  15th,  1586,  the  commis- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  409 

sioners  unanimously  gave  the  sentence  of  condemna- 
tion against  the  unhappy  and  defenceless  Mary.  The 
last  act  of  her  stern  jurors  and  judges,  which  sealed 
her  fate,  charged  her  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Bab- 
ington  plot,  to  destroy  Elizabeth,  and  invade  England 
with  a  Papal  army.  The  legitimacy  and  honor  of 
James  YI.  were  carefully  guarded  in  the  ruin  of  the 
mother.  Parliament  assembled,  and  approved  the 
decision  ;  with  expressions  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
the  discovery  of  the  dangerous  schemes  of  their  sove- 
reign's enemies,  the  members  of  both  houses  demand- 
ed of  the  Queen  the  execution  of  the  sentence  of  the 
high  court  of  the  realm.  In  reply,  she  rendered 
praise  to  the  Divine  Goodness  for  miraculous  deliver- 
ance from  so  many  perils,  and  closed  a  message  of 
regret  that  she  was  compelled  to  deal  severely  with 
"  the  unfortunate  lady,"  in  the  following  language : 

"  Do  not  hurry  my  decision.  It  is  an  affair  of  great 
importance,  and  I  am  accustomed  to  deliberate  longer 
on  less  weighty  matters  before  making  up  my  mind. 
I  shall  pray  Almighty  God  to  enlighten  my  under- 
standing, and  to  show  me  what  will  be  best  for  the 
interests  of  his  church,  the  prosperity  of  my  people, 
and  your  own  security." 

Elizabeth's  mind  was  distressed  with  the  responsi- 
bility which  she  could  not  escape.  How  far  her  ap- 
parent agitation  was  designed  for  effect,  is  a  matter 
of  conjecture,  founded  upon  the  general  estimate  of 
her  character.  But  there  was  occasion  to  feel,  as  she 
said,  more  perplexed  than  ever  before — that  she 
could  have  wished  to  preserve  her  own  life  without 
R 


410 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


sacrificing  that  of  another — and  that  it  appeared 
cruel  to  dip  the  hands  of  the  executioner  in  the  blood 
of  so  near  a  relative.  In  putting  off  with  further  de- 
lay the  importunate  Parliament,  she  closed  the  inter 
view  with  the  chancellor  and  speaker,  saying :  "  If 
I  accede  to  your  request,  I  should  say,  perhaps,  more 
than  I  think ;  and,  if  I  reject  it,  I  precipitate  myself 
into  the  very  danger  from  which  you  would  save  me. 
Accept,  I  pray  you,  my  thanks  and  my  perplexities, 
and  take  in  good  part  an  answer  which  is  no  answer." 
Meanwhile,  November  10th,  Lord  Bathurst  and 
/  Robert  Eeale,  clerk  of  the  council,  were  dispatched 
to  Fotheringay  Castle,  and  announced  to  Mary  the 
result  of  the  trial,  and  the  vote  of  Parliament,  and 
urged  an  immediate  preparation  for  execution.  The 
terrible  tidings  were  listened  to  by  the  royal  captive 
with  no  visible  signs  of  alarm  or  grief.  She  thanked 
God  for  being  deemed  worthy  to  be  instrumental  in 
advancing  the  Catholic  faith,  and  to  suffer  in  the  holy 
cause.  The  messengers  of  doom  assured  her,  that 
she  could  neither  be  regarded  as  a  saint  or  a  martyr, 
having  been  involved  in  the  fearful  intrigues,  whose 
aim  was  an  armed  invasion  of  the  kingdom,  and  the 
overthrow  of  its  sovereign.  She  was  treated  thence- 
forth with  marked  indignity.  Her  request  for  a  spir- 
itual adviser  was  rejected  ;  and  Paulet  ordered  a  can- 
opy bearing  her  arms  to  be  removed.  Tlie  friendless 
Queen  wrote  the  Pope,  asking  his  blessing,  commit- 
ting her  son  to  his  fatherly  care,  and  resigned  herself 
to  the  prospect  of  hastening  death.  The  following 
letters  were  written  at  this  time.    They  disclose  her 


MART    QUEEN     OF    SCOTS.  411 

frame  of  feeling,  and  her  ardent  devotion  to  the 
church  of  Rome. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  DON  BERNARD  DE  MENDOCA* 

"  My  very  dear  friend  —  Having  ever  found  you 
zealous  in  the  cause  of  God,  and  desirous  of  my  wel- 
fare and  deliverance  from  captivity,  I  have  always 
communicated  to  you  all  my  intentions  upon  that 
subject,  begging  you  to  make  them  known  to  the 
King,  my  good  brother.  For  this  same  reason  I  now 
write  to  bid  you  a  last  adieu,  notwithstanding  the 
little  leisure  I  have,  being  about  to  receive  the  stroke 
of  death,  which  was  announced  to  me  on  Saturday 
last ;  I  do  not  know  when,  or  in  what  manner  ;  but 
at  least  you  may  praise  God  for  me  that,  through  his 
grace,  I  have  had  the  heart  to  receive  this  unjust  sen 
.tence  of  heretics  with  resignation,  on  account  of  the 
happiness  which  I  esteem  it  to  shed  my  blood  at  the 
requisition  of  the  enemies  of  His  churcli,  who  do  me 
the  honor  to  say  that  it  cannot  be  subverted  while  1 
am  alive,  and  also  that  their  Queen  cannot  reign  in 
safety  in  the  same  predicament. 

"  As  for  these  two  conditions,  I  have  accepted  with- 
out contradiction  the  high  honor  which  they  confer 
upon  me,  as  one  most  zealous  for  the  Catholic  religion 
for  which  I  have  publicly  offered  my  life ;  and,  as  for 
the  other,  although  I  have  never  committed  either  act 
or  deed  tending  to  take  off  her  who  was  on  the  throne, 
unless  it  be  that  they  make  a  crime  of  my  right  to 


*  The  Spanish  Ambassador. 


412 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


the  crown,  which  is  acknowledged  by  all  Catholics 
yet  I  would  not  contradict  them,  leaving  them  to 
think  as  they  please.  This  annoyed  them  much,  and 
they  told  me  that,  whatever  I  might  say  or  do,  it 
will  not  be  for  the  cause  of  religion  that  I  shall  die, 
but  for  having  endeavored  to  murder  their  Queen. 
This  I  denied,  as  being  utterly  false,  having  never  at- 
tempted any  such  thing,  and  leaving  it  to  God  and 
the  church  to  dispose  of  this  island  in  what  relates  to 
religion. 

"  The  bearer  of  this  has  promised  to  relate  to  you 
how  rigorously  I  have  been  treated  by  those  here,  and 
how  ill  served  by  others  whom  I  did  not  expect  to 
have  shown  so  great  a  fear  of  death  in  so  just  a  quar 
rel.  They  have  not  been  able  to  draw  anything 
from  me  but  that  I  am  a  Queen,  free,  Catholic,  and 
obedient  to  the  church  ;  and  that,  not  being  able 
to  effect  my  deliverance  by  fair  means,  I  was  com-' 
pelled  to  seek  it  by  those  which  presented  themselves. 
Nau  has  confessed  all ;  Curie  has  in  a  great  measure 
followed  his  example  ;  so  that  everything  turns  against 
me.  I  am, threatened,  if  I  do  not  beg  pardon;  but  I 
say  that,  as  tliey  had  already  destined  me  to  die,  they 
might  proceed  with  their  injustice,  hoping  that  God 
will  recompense  me  in  another  world ;  and,  out  of 
spite,  because  I  will  not  speak,  they  came  yesterday, 
Monday,  and  took  down  my  canopy,"^  saying  that  1 
was  no  more  than  a  dead  woman,  and  without  any 
rank.  They  are  at  present  working  in  my  hall  — 
erecting  the  scaffold,  I  suppose,  whereon  I  am  to  per- 

*  A  cloth  of  state,  or  a  sort  of  throne. 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


413 


form  the  last  act  of  tliis  tragedy.  I  die  in  a  just 
3ausc,  and  am  happy  in  having  made  over  my  rigl  ta 
to  the  King,  your  master.  I  have  said  that  I  consid- 
er him,  should  my  son  not  return  to  the  bosom  of  t  le 
church,  as  being  a  prince  the  most  worthy  to  govei'n 
and  direct  this  island.  I  have  written  to  the  sanie 
purpose  to  his  Holiness,  and  I  beg  you  to  assure  him 
that  I  die  in  the  determination  which  I  have  commu- 
nicated to  you,  and  also  another,  whom  you  know  to 
be  his  dearest  and  most  intimate  friend,  and  a  fourth, 
and  these  above  all  others  I  bequeath  to  the  protec- 
tion of  the  King,  beseeching  him  in  God's  name  not 
to  abandon  them,  and  entreating  them,  to  serve  him  in 
place  of  me.  As  I  cannot  write  to  them,  greet  them 
in  my  name,  and  pray  to  God,  all  of  you,  for  my  soul. 
I  have  asked  for  a  priest ;  but  I  do  not  know  if  my 
request  will  be  granted.  They  have  offered  me  one 
of  their  bishops ;  but  I  positively  refused  him.  You 
may  believe  all  that  the  bearer  of  this  shall  tell  you, 
and  also  those  two  poor  girls  who  have  been  immedi- 
ately about  my  person ;  they  will  t(ill  you  the  truth, 
which  I  beg  you  to  make  public,  as  I  fear  that  a  very 
different  interpretation  will  be  given.  Order  a  mass 
to  be  said  for  the  deliverance  and  repose  of  my  soi.l ; 
you  know  the  place  I  mean  —  and  let  the  churches  in 
Spain  remember  me  in  their  prayers.  Keep  the  name 
of  the  bearer  of  this  secret ;  he  has  been  a  faithful 
servant  to  me.  God  grant  you  a  long  and  happy  life ! 
You  will  receive  from  me  as  a  token  of  my  reme  n- 
orance,  a  diamond,  which  I  have  held  very  dear,  hav- 
ing been  given  to  me  by  the  late  Duke  of  Norfolk  as 


414:  MAEY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 

a  pledge  of  his  troth,  and  I  have  always  worn  it  aa 
such  :  keep  it  for  my  sake.  I  do  not  know  if  I  shall 
have  leave  to  make  a  will.  I  have  applied  for  it,  but 
they  have  all  my  money.  God  be  with  you  !'  Excuse 
what  I  write  in  sorrow  and  trouble,  not  having  any 
one  to  help  me  to  make  my  rough  draughts,  and  to 
write  for  me.  If  you  cannot  read  my  hand,  the  bearer 
will  read  it  for  you,  or  my  ambassador,  whom  he 
knows. 

"Among  other  accusations,  that  of  Criton  (Crigh- 
ton)  is  one  which  I  know  nothing  of.  I  fear  greatly 
that  l^au  and  Pasquier  have  hastened  my  death, 
having  kept  some  papers,  and  they  are  men  Who  will 
turn  on  any  side  for  their  own  advantage.  Would  to 
God  Fontenay  had  been  here !  He  is  a  young  man  of 
great  knowledge  and  resolution. 

"  Once  more,  adieu.  I  recommend  to  you  my  poor 
and  henceforth  destitute  servants,  and  pray  for  my 
eoul. 

"  From  Fotheringay,  "Wednesday,  the  23d  of  No- 
vember, 1586.  I  recommend  to  you  the  poor  Bishop 
of  Ross,  who  will  be  shortly  destitute. 

"  Your  very  obliged  and  perfect  friend, 

"MaryR." 

THE  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  TO  THE  DUKE  OF  GUISE. 

"  My  good  cousin  —  You  whom  I  hold  most  dear 
m  the  world,  I  bid  you  farewell,  being  on  the  point 
of  being  put  tc  death,  by  an  unjust  judgment,  such  a 
one  as  never  any  belonging  to  our  race  yet  suffered, 
much  less  one  of  my  rank.    But  praise  God,  my  good 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


415 


cousin  ;  for,  situated  as  I  have  been,  I  was  useless  to 
the  world  in  the  cause  of  God  and  his  church  ;  but  I 
hope  that  my  death  will  bear  witness  of  my  constan- 
cy in  the  faith,  and  my  readiness  to  die  for  the  sup- 
port and  restoration  of  the  Catholic  church  in  this 
unfortunate  island.  And  though  executioner  never 
yet  dipped  his  hand  in  our  blood,  be  not  ashamed,  my 
friend ;  for  the  judgment  of  these  heretics  and  ene- 
mies of  the  church,  and  who  have  no  jurisdiction  over 
me,  a  free  Queen,  is  profitable  before  God  and  the 
children  of  his  church,  which,  had  I  not  adhered  to, 
this  stroke  had  been  spared  me.  All  those  of  our 
house  have  been  persecuted  by  this  sect;  witness, 
your  good  father,  with  whom  I  hope  to  be  received  in 
mercy  by  the  just  Judge. 

"  I  recommend,  then,  to  you,  all  my  poor  servants, 
the  discharge  of  my  debts,  and  the  founding  of  some 
annual  obit  for  my  soul ;  not  at  your  expense^  but  to 
make  such  solicitation  and  arrangements  as  shall  be 
requisite  to  fulfill  my  intentions,  which  you  will  be 
informed  of  by  my  poor,  disconsolate  servants,  eye- 
witnesses of  this,  my  last  tragedy. 

"  May  God  prosper  your  wife,  children,  brothers 
and  cousins,  and  especially  our  head,  my  good  broth- 
er and  cousin,  and  all  belonging  to  him !  May  the 
blessing  of  God,  and  that  which  I  should  give  to  my 
own  children,  be  upon  youj'S,  whom  I  commend  to 
God,  not  less  sincerely  than  my  own  unfortunate  and 
deluded  son  !  You  will  receive  tokens  (rings)  from 
me  to  remind  you  to  have  prayei's  said  for  the  soul  of 
your  poor  cousin,  destitute  of  all  aid  and  counsel  uut 


416 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


that  of  Grod,  wlio  gives  me  strength  and  courage  to 
withstand  alone  so  many  wolves  howling  after  me ;  to 
God  be  the  glory  !  Believe,  in  particular,  a  person 
who  will  give  you,  in  my  name,  a  ruby  ring,  for  I  as- 
sure you,  upon  my  conscience,  that  this  person  ^vill 
tell  you  the  truth  agreeably  to  my  desire,  especially 
as  to  what  concerns  my  poor  servants,  and  the  share 
of  each.  I  recommend  to  you  this  person  for  her  sin- 
cerity and  honesty,  in  order  that  she  may  be  put  into 
some  good  place.  I  have  chosen  her.  as  being  the 
most  impartial,  and  as  one  who  will  most  simply  re- 
port my  commands.  I  beg  you  not  to  let  it  be  known 
that  she  has  said  anything  to  you  in  private,  for  envy 
might  injure  her. 

"  I  have  suffered  much  for  the  last  two  years  and 
upward,  but  have  not  been  able  to  inform  you  of  it 
for  an  important  reason.  God  be  praised  for  all 
things,  and  may  he  give  you  grace  to  persevere  in  the 
service  of  his  church,  so  long  as  you  live,  and  may 
that  honor  never  depart  from  our  race,  that  all  of  us, 
both  males  and  females,  may  be  ready  to  shed  our 
blood  in  the  defence  of  the  faith,  regardless  of  all 
other  worldly  interests  !  For  my  own  part,  I  think 
myself  born,  both  on  the  father's  and  the  mother's 
side,  to  offer  up  my  blood  for  it,  and  have  no  inten- 
tion to  degenerate.  May  Jesus,  crucified  for  us,  and 
all  the  holy  martyrs,  render  us,  by  their  intercession, 
worthy  of  the  free-will  offering  of  our  bodies  for  his 
glory.   From  Fotheringay,  Thursday,  this  24th  Nov. 

"Thinking  to  degrade  me,  they  took  down  my  can- 
opy ;  and  my  keeper  afterward  came  and  offered  to 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  417 

write  to  the  Queen,  saying  that  this  act  had  not  been 
done  by  her  command,  but  by  the  advice  of  some  of 
her  council.  I  showed  them,  on  the  said  canopy,  in 
place  of  my  coat  of  arms,  the  cross  of  my  Saviour. 
You  will  be  informed  of  all  that  was  said  ;  they  have 
since  been  more  indulgent. 

"  Your  affectionate  cousin  and  perfect  friend, 
"Mary  E.,  of  Scotland, 

Dowager  of  France: 

"Whether  the  touching  communication  was  received 
or  not,  is  unknown. 

A  sonnet  written  with  the  violent  close  of  existence 
in  view,  is  melancholy  evidence  of  poetical  genius, 
which,  through  years  of  suffering,  had  seldom  breath- 
ed in  verse  the  captive's  moan. 

"  Alas !  what  am  I  ?  and  in  what  estate  ? 

A  wretched  corse,  bereaved  of  its  heart; 

An  empty  shadow  lost,  unfortunate; 

To  die  is  now  in  life  my  only  part. 

Foes  to  my  greatness,  let  your  envy  rest ; 

In  me  no  taste  for  grandeur  now  is  found, 

Consumed  by  grief,  with  heavy  ills  opprest, 

Your  wishes  and  desires  will  soon  be  crowned. 

And  you,  my  friends,  who  still  have  held  me  dear. 

Bethink  you,  that  when  health  and  heart  are  fled, 

And  every  hope  of  future  good  is  dead, 

'Tis  time  to  wish  our  sorrows  ended  here, 

And  that  this  punishment  on  earth  is  given, 

That  I  may  live  to  endless  bliss  in  heaven."* 

*  Written  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper. 
"Que  suis-je,  h^las  ?  et  de  quoy  sert  la  vief 
Je*n  suis  fors  qu'un  corps  priv6  de  coeur, 
R«  27 


418 


MART   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


She  also  sent  lier  last  message  to  Elizabeth,  in  affect- 
ing language,  breathing  the  crushed  annbition  of  a 
long  life  —  regard  for  a  form  which  had  been  the  ad- 
miration of  the  world  —  and  solicitude  for  those, 
however  humble,  who  were  faithful  unto  death : 

"  Madam,  I  return  thanks  to  God  with  all  my  heart, 
that  it  pleases  him  to  put  an  end,  through  your  de- 
cree, to  the  weary  pilgrimage  of  my  life.  I  do  not 
ask  that  it  may  be  prolonged,  having  had  but  too  long 
experience  of  its  bitterness.  I  only  beseech  your 
majesty  that,  as  I  cannot  look  for  any  kindness  from 
certain  zealous  ministers  who  hold  the  highest  rank 
in  the  government  of  England,  I  may  receive  from 
you  alone,  and  not  from  others,  the  following  favors ; 

In  the  first  place,  I  ask  that,  as  it  is  not  allowable 
for  me  to  expect  a  burial  in  England,  according  to 
the  Catholic  solemnities  practised  by  the  ancient 
kings,  your  ancestors  and  mine,  and  as  in  Scotland 
dishonor  and  violence  has  been  done  to  the  ashes  of 
my  progenitors  —  as  soon  as  my  enemies  shall  be 
satiated  with  my  innocent  blood,  my  body  may  be 
carried  by  my  servants  into  some  godly  land,  especi- 

Un  ombre  vain,  un  object  de  malhur, 
Qui  n'a  plus  rien  que  de  mourir  en  vie. 
Plus  ne  me  portez  —  0  ennemis,  d'envie: 
Qui  n'a  plus  Tesprit  a  la  grandeur, 
Votre  ire  en  bref  devoir  assouvir. 
liJt  vous  amis,  qui  m'avez  tenu  chere, 
Souvenez-vous  que  sans  coeur,  et  sans  san(6 
Je  ne  sjaurois  aucun  bon  oeuvre  faire; 
Souliaitez  done  fin  de  calamite. 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


419 


ally  France,  where  the  hones  of  the  Queen,  my  hon- 
ored mother,  repose,  in  order  that  this  poor  body, 
which  has  never  known  repose  since  it  has  been 
united  to  my  soul,  may  at  length  find  peace  when 
separated  from  it. 

"  Secondly,  I  pray  your  majesty,  from  the  appre- 
hension I  feel  for  the  tyranny  of  those  to  whose  pow- 
er you  have  abandoned  me,  that  I  may  not  be  executed 
in  any  secret  place,  but  in  the  sight  of  my  domestics  and 
other  persons  who  may  be  able  to  bear  witness  to  my 
faith  and  obedience  in  the  true  church,  and  to  defend 
the  remainder  of  my  life  and  my  last  breath  from  the 
false  reports  which  my  enemies  may  spread. 

"  Thirdly,  I  request  that  my  domestics,  who  have 
served  me  through  so  many  troubles,  and  with  so 
much  fidelity,  may  be  allowed  to  retire  freely  wher- 
ever they  may  wish  to  go,  and  to  enjoy  the  small 
presents  which  my  poverty  has  bequeathed  them  in 
my  will. 

"I  conjure  you,  madam,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  by  our  relationship,  by  the  memory  of  Henry 
YII.,  our  common  parent,  and  by  the  title  of 
Queen,  which  I  still  bear  till  death,  not  to  refuse 
these  my  reasonable  requests,  and  to  give  me  assu- 
rance of  that  by  a  line  under  your  hand ;  and  there- 
upon I  will  die,  as  I  have  lived,  your  affectionate 
sister  and  prisoner." 

"Whether  the  touching  communication  was  received 
or  not,  is  unknown. 
Tlie  condemnation  of  Mary  had  aroused  adjacent 


420 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


kingdoms,  and  startled  the  civilized  Avorld.  Ambas- 
sadors from  Scotland  and  France  arrived  at  the  court 
of  England,  to  intercede  with  expostulations  and 
threats  in  behalf  of  the  desolate  princess.  Elizabeth 
answered  that  mercy  to  Mary  Stuart  would  be  cruel- 
ty to  herself ;  and  to  make  a  demonstration  of  popu- 
lar feeling  in  the  face  of  foreign  remonstance,  she  di- 
rected the  sentence  of  the  court  to  be  proclaimed  in 
the  streets  of  London.  The  Lord  Mayor,  Earl  of  Pem- 
broke, and  the  aldermen,  attended  the  ceremony. 
The  last  tones  of  the  herald's  voice  were  lost  in  ac- 
clamations and  ringing  of  bells,  while  bonfires  illu- 
mined at  night  the  rocking  towers  of  every  belfry 
in  the  capital.  For  twenty -four  hours  these  rejoicings 
continued.  The  ambassadors  of  Henry  III.,  of  France, 
anticipating  the  immediate  execution  of  Mary,  inter- 
posed a  petition  for  a  postponement  of  the  fatal  blow. 

In  the  meantime,  M.  de  Bellievere,  one  of  the  envoys, 
embarked  for  France,  and  Elizabeth  sent  to  confront 
him,  a  special  messenger,  instructed  to  resent  the 
King's  bold  interference,  and  explain  her  own  acts. 

James  YI.  manifested  no  very  intense  interest  in 
his  mother's  deliverance.  Ruled  by  her  political  pol- 
icy of  grasping  at  all  hazards,  power,  he  preferred 
the  alliance  with  Elizabeth  to  Mary's  life.  He  con- 
gratulated the  Queen  of  England  upon  the  detection 
of  the  late  conspiracy ;  and  said  respecting  the  pris- 
oner, that  she  had  broken  her  promises  to  Elizabeth, 
and  must  drink  the  draught  she  had  "  brewed  for 
herself."  But  when  it  was  known  that  the  sentence 
of  death  was  impending,  the  King,  who  liad  not  an- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


421 


ticipated  this  result,  sent  William  Keith  witli  -a  filial, 
menacing  message  to  the  court  of  England.  I7pon 
receiving  a  haughty  reply  from  Elizabeth,  James 
cowered,  and  simply  pressed  the  demand  that  his 
mother  be  no  more  than  securely  confined.  The 
choice  of  peace  with  allies  instead  of  yielding  to  the 
impulses  of  strongest  natural  affection,  awakened  tl  e 
indignation  of  his  subjects,  and  murmurs  of  disappro- 
val were  heard  whenever  he  crossed  tiie  threshold  of 
his  palace.  Elizabeth  continued  undecided.  Rumors 
of  new  conspiracies  were  abroad ;  a  prisoner  in  New- 
gate had  proposed  to  D'Estroppes,  member  of  the 
French  embassy,  if  he  would  pay  him  one  hundred 
and  twenty  crowns,  which  would  release  the  debt  that 
incarcerated  him,  to  assassinate  the  Queen.  The  offer 
was  promptly  spurned,  but  accusations  which  were 
made  by  a  disappointed  conspirator,  Stafford,  involved 
the  ambassadors  of  Henry  in  serious  trouble.  Eliza- 
beth became  sad  and  gloomy;  amusements  were 
abandoned,  and  she  was  overheard  repeating  to  her- 
self the  Latin  quotation:  ''"Autfer  aut ;  ne  feriare 
firiP  "  Strike  or  be  struck ;  if  you  would  not  be 
struck,  strike." 

The  crisis  had  come  when  she  must  take  the  re- 
sponsibility of  final  action  on  Mary's  fate.  Februa- 
ry 1st,  1587,  Secretary  Davison,  who  w^as  summoned 
to  her  presence,  appeared  before  her  with  the 
warrant  of  execution,  drawn  by  High  Treasurer 
Humphrey.  She  read  it  carefully,  asked  for  a  pen, 
and  signed  the  instrument  of  death.  She  forbade  a 
public  execution,  and  ordered  that  it  should  take 


422 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


place  in  tlie  great  hall  of  the  castle,  instead  of  the 
open  court ;  intimating  strongly  that  Paulet,  the 
keeper,  and  his  companions,  might  have  relieved  her 
of  the  burden  of  deciding  the  matter,  had  they  been 
anxious  to  serve  her.  The  same  day,  Davison  and 
Walsingham  wrote  to  Paulet  the  following : 

"  After  our  cordial  greetings,  we  perceive,  from 
some  words  lately  spoken  by  her  majesty,  that  she 
remarks  in  you  a  want  of  diligence  and  of  zeal  in 
not  having  discovered  of  yourselves  (without  other 
instigation)  some  mode  of  putting  that  Queen  to 
death,  considering  the  great  danger  to  which  her 
majesty  is  exposed,  as  long  as  the  said  Queen  is  in 
life.  'Not  to  speak  of  the  want  of  affection  towards 
her,  her  majesty  remarks  further,  that  you  do  not 
consider  your  own  safety,  or  rather  the  preservation 
of  religion,  of  the  public  weal,  and  of  the  prosperity 
of  your  country,  as  reason  and  policy  require  you  to 
tio.  Your  conscience  would  be  peaceful  before  God, 
and  your  reputation  clear  before  the  world,  since  you 
have  taken  the  solemn  oath  of  the  Association,  and 
since,  moreover,  the  facts  charged  against  that  Queen 
have  been  clearly  proved.  Her  majesty,  therefore, 
feels  great  displeasure  at  men  who  profess  attach- 
ment to  her,  as  you  do,  thus  failing  in  their  duty,  and 
seeking  to  throw  on  her  the  weight  of  this  affair,  well 
knowing,  as  you  do,  her  repugnance  to  the  shedding 
of  blood,  particularly  that  of  a  person  of  her  sex  and 
her  rank,  and  so  near  a  relative. 

"  We  perceive  that  these  considerations  trouble  her 
majesty  greatly,  who,  we  can  assure  you,  has  repeat- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


423 


edly  declared  that  if  slie  did  not  feel  a  greater  con- 
cern for  the  dangers  which  her  faithful  subjects  and 
her  good  servants  run,  than  for  those  whicli  threaten 
herself,  she  would  never  consent  that  this  Queen's 
blood  should  be  shed.  We  think  it  very  necessary  to 
inform  you  of  these  sentiments  expressed  not  long 
since  by  her  majesty,  and  to  submit  them  to  your 
good  judgment,  and  so  we  recommend  you  to  tho 
Almighty's  protection." 

Paulet  received  this  appeal  to  unscrupulous  loyalty, 
February  2d,  at  evening ;  though  an  unfeeling  jailer, 
he  was  above  cowardly  murder,  and  wrote  in  reply : 

"  Having  received  your  letter  of  yesterday  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  I  could  not  fail 
to  send  you  an  answer  with  all  possible  dispatch,  as 
you  direct.  I  send  it  you  in  all  the  bitterness  which 
my  heart  feels  at  being  so  unfortunate  as  to  see  the 
day  when,  by  the  injunctions  of  my  most  gracious 
sovereign,  I  am  required  to  commit  an  act  which  God 
and  the  laws  forbid.  My  property,  my  place,  and 
my  life,  are  at  her  majesty's  disposal,  and  I  am  ready 
to  surrender  them  to-morrow,  if  such  is  her  good 
pleasure,  acknowledging  that  I  hold  them  from  her 
sole  and  gracious  favor;  I  do  not  desire  to  enjoy  them 
but  with  the  good  will  of  her  highness.  But  God 
preserve  me  from  making  such  a  pitiable  shipwreck 
of  my  conscience,  or  leaving  so  foul  a  stain  on  my 
posterity,  as  to  shed  blood  without  the  authority  of 
the  law,  and  without  a  public  act.  I  hope  her  majes- 
ty, with  her  accustomed  clemency,  will  take  my  loyal 
answer  in  good  part." 


424 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Elizabetli,  upon  reading  this  spirited  and  manly 
letter,  uttered  expressions  of  scorn  ;  and  had  no  other 
alternative  than  to  let  penalty  reach  its  illustrious 
mark. 

With  the  pajDers  properly  signed  and  sealed, 
the  members  of  the  privy  council  proceeded  to  the 
concluding  deed  in  the  slow  destruction  of  a  beauti- 
ful and  powerless  Queen.  Mary  was  in  awful  sus- 
pense, fearing  especially  secret  assassination.  Febru- 
ary 5th,  Robert  Beale,  Elizabeth's  envoy  to  James  YL, 
accompanied  by  the  London  executioner,  arrived  at 
Fotheringg,y  Castle.  He  acquainted  the  castellans 
with  his  mission,  and  then  hastened  to  the  Earls  of 
'Kent  and  Shrewsbury,  who  were  to  see  the  sen- 
tence executed  on  the  morning  of  the  8th.  About 
noon  of  the  7th,  all  the  actors  in  the  approach- 
ing scene  of  blood,  were  assembled  in  the  cas- 
tle. Alarm  seized  the  servants,  as  the  signs  of 
the  dreaded  consummation  gathered  about  them. 
Mary  was  on  her  couch  in  bodily  weakness  and 
pain.  The  Earls  requested  to  see  her ;  and  she  re- 
plied, though  ill,  if  it  were  deemed  necessary,  she 
would  meet  them.  When  told  delay  was  not  permit- 
ted, she  dressed  herself,  and  seated  by  a  small  work 
table,  calmly  awaited  their  coming.  Her  limited 
retinue  was  around  her.  The  grand  marshal  of 
England,  followed  by  Beale  and  the  jailers,  entered 
the  room  uncovered  and  bowing,  and  told  the  mourn- 
ful captive  that  the  sentence  delayed  more  than 
two  months,  could  no  longer  be  deferred;  that 
Elizabeth  was  forced  to  the  execution  of  it  by  the 


MARY   QTJEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


425 


clamor  of  her  subjects,  and  they  liad  come  to  do 
her  will. 

Mary  serenely  listened,  and  then  desired  Beale  to 
read  the  warrant  for  the  execution  : 

Warrant  for  the  Execution  of  the  Queen  of  Scots. 

"Elizabeth,  by  the  grace  of  God,  Queen  of  England,  France,  and 
Ireland,  <fec.  To  our  trusty  and  well  beloved  cousins,  George,  Earl 
of  Shrewsbury,  Earl  Marshal  of  England,  Henry,  Earl  of  Kent, 
Henry,  Earl  of  Derby,  George,  Earl  of  Cumberland,  and  Henry, 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  greeting,  &c. 

"Whereas  sithence  the  sentence  given  by  you,  and  others  of  our 
Council,  Nobility  and  Judges,  against  the  Queen  of  Scots,  by  the 
name  of  Mary,  Daughter  of  James  the  Fifth,  late  king  of  Scots, 
commonly  called  the  Queen  of  Scots,  and  Dowager  of  France,  as  is 
to  you  well  known ;  all  the  States  in  the  last  Parliament  assembled 
did  not  only  deliberately,  by  great  advice,  allow  and  approve  the 
same  sentence  as  just  and  honorable,  but  also  with  all  humbleness 
and  earnestness  possible,  at  sundry  times  require,  solicit  and  press 
us  to  direct  such  further  execution  against  her  Person,  as  they  did 
adjudge  her  to  have  duly  deserved;  adding  thereunto,  that  the  for- 
bearing thereof  was,  and  would  be  daily,  certain  and  undoubted 
danger,  not  only  unto  our  own  life,  but  also  unto  themselves,  their 
posterity,  and  the  public  estate  of  this  Realm,  as  well  for  the  cause 
of  the  Gospel  and  true  Religion  of  Christ,  as  for  the  peace  of  tlie 
whole  Realm ;  whereupon  we  did,  although  the  same  were  Avith 
some  delay  of  time,  publish  the  same  Sentence  by  our  Proclama- 
tion, yet  hitherto  have  forborn  to  give  direction  for  the  further  sat- 
isfaction of  the  aforesaid  most  earnest  requests,  made  by  our  said 
States  of  our  Parliament ;  whereby  we  do  daily  understand,  by  all 
sorts  of  our  loving  subjects,  both  of  our  Nobility  and  Council,  and 
also  of  the  wisest,  greatest,  and  best  devoted  of  all  subjects  of  infe- 
rior degrees,  how  greatly  and  deeply,  from  the  bottom  of  their 
hearts  they  are  grieved  and  afflicted,  with  daily,  yea  hourly  fears 
of  our  life,  and  thereby  consequently  with  a  dreadful  doubt  and 
expectation  of  the  ruin  of  the  present  happy  and  godly  estate  of  this 
Realm,  if  we  should  forbear  the  further  final  execution,  as  it  is  de- 


126 


MARY   QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


eervcJ,  and  ncgUsct  their  general  and  continued  requests,  pray  org, 
counsiils  and  advices,  and  thci  eupon,  contrary  to  our  natural  dis- 
position in  such  case,  being  ov  ercome  with  the  evident  weight;  of 
their  counsels,  and  their  daily  intenscssions,  imparting  such  a  ne- 
cessity, as  appeareth,  directly  tending  to  the  safety  not  only  of  our- 
Belf,  but  also  to  the  weal  of  our  whole  Realm;  we  have  condescended 
to  suffer  justice  to  take  place,  and  for  the  execution  thereof  uj)on  the 
special  trusty  experience  and  confidence  which  we  have  of  your  loyal- 
ties, faithfulness  nnd  love,  both  toward  our  Person  and  the  safety 
thereof,  and  also  to  your  native  countries,  whereof  you  are  mosti 
noble  and  principal  J^Iembera,  we  do  will,  and  by  Warrant  hereof 
do  authorize  you,  as  soon  Jis  you  shall  have  time  convenient,  ta 
repair  to  our  Castle  of  Folheringay,  where  the  said  Queen  of 
Scots  is  in  custody  cf  our  right  trusty  and  faithful  servant  and 
Counsellor,  Sir  Am^^as  Powlet,  Knight:  and  then  taking  her  into 
your  charge,  to  cause  by  your  commandment  execution  to  be  done 
upon  her  person,  in  the  presence  of  yourselves,  and  the  aforesaid 
Sir  Amyas  Powlet,  and  of  such  other  ofiicers  of  justice  as  you  shall 
command  to  attend  upon  you  for  that  purpose ;  and  the  same  to  be 
done  in  such  manner  and  form,  and  at  such  time  and  place,  and  by 
Buch  persons,  as  to  five,  four,  or  three  of  you  shall  be  thought  by 
your  discretions  convenient,  notwithstanding  any  Law,  Statute,  or 
Ordinance  to  the  contrary :  And  these  our  Letters  Patents,  sealed 
with  our  Great  Seal  of  England,  sliall  be  to  you,  and  every  of  you, 
and  to  all  pcirsons  that  shall  be  present,  or  that  shall  be  by  you 
commanded  to  do  anything  appertaining  to  the  aforesaid  Execution, 
a  full,  sufiicient  Warrant,  and  dis(;harge  forever.  And  further,  we 
are  also  pleased  and  contented,  and  hereby  we  do  will,  command, 
and  authorize  our  Chancellor  of  England,  at  the  requests  of  you  all 
and  every  of  ycu,  the  duplicate  of  our  Letters  Patents,  to  be  to  all 
purposes  made,  dated,  and  sealed  with  our  Great  Seal  of  England, 
as  these  Presents  now  are. 

"In  witr.eijs  whereof,  we  have  caused  these  our  Letters  lobe 
made  Patent!?.  Given  at  our  Mancr  of  Greenwich,  the  1st  day  of 
Fobruary,  in.  the  twenty -ninth  yoai*  of  our  Keign." 


\\'lien  tlie  reading  was  finisliod,  Mary  made  tho 
sign  of  the  cross,  and  said  : 


MART    QUEEN    OF    SCOTS.  427 

"  God  be  praised  for  the  news  you  bring  me.  I 
could  receive  none  better,  for  it  announces  to  me  tlie 
conclusion  of  my  miseries,  and  the  grace  which  God 
has  granted  me  to  die  for  the  honor  of  his  name,  and 
of  his  church,  Catholic,  apostolic,  and  Roman.  I 
did  not  expect  such  a  happy  end,  after  the  treatment 
I  have  suffered  and  the  dangers  to  which  I  have  been 
exposed  for  nineteen  years  in  this  country  —  I,  born 
a  Queen,  the  daughter  of  a  king,  the  grand-daughter 
of  Henry  YII.,  the  near  relation  of  the  Queen  of 
England,  Queen  Dowager  of  France,  and  who,  though 
a  free  princess,  have  been  kept  in  prison  without 
legitimate  cause,  though  I  am  subject  to  nobody, 
and  recognize  no  superior  in  this  world,  excepting 
God." 

Mary  laid  her  hand  upon  a  Testament,  and  reaf- 
firmed that  she  never  sought,  nor  consented  to  any 
means,  for  taking  Elizabeth's  life.  When  the  Earl 
of  Kent  remarked  that  she  swore  on  a  Papal  book, 
she  immediately  answered  :  "  It  is  the  book  in  which 
I  believe;  do  you  suppose  my  oath  would  be  more 
sincere  if  I  took  it  on  yours,  in  which  I  do  not  be- 
lieve ? "  She  spurned  the  proposal  to  send  the  Dean 
of  Peterborough,  a  Protestant,  to  attend  her  in  the 
dying  hour,  but  desired  her  own  confessor,  who  had 
been  taken  from  her  several  days  before.  The  wish 
was  basely  disregarded.  She  then  asked  when  she 
was  to  die ;  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  answered,  To- 
morrow, madam,  about  8  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

The  earls  departed,  and  Mary's  servants  crowded 
about  ner,  weeping  with  breaking  hearts.    She  soon 


428 


MAEY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


after  partook  of  an  early  supper,  and  called  lier  at 
tendants  to  tlie  apartment.  Pouring  out  wine,  she 
drank  to  tliem,  and  with  expressions  of  warm  affec- 
tion, asked  from  tliem  a  similar  pledge  of  love.  They 
fell  on  their  knees,  and  poured  out  their  tears  afresh, 
as  the  last  libation  upon  the  altar  of  fidelity.  They 
besought  her  to  pardon  b11  offences.  She  assured 
them  of  free  forgiveness,  and  hoped  they  would  ex- 
tend the  same  charity  to  her. 

She  then  retired  to  spend  the  night  in  writing  and 
prayer.  Kear  the  dawn  of  day  she  completed  her 
will,  which  ran  as  follows : 

"In  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost., 
I,  Mary,  by  the  grace  of  God,  Queen  of  Scotland  and  Dowager  of 
France,  being  on  the  point  of  death,  and  not  having  any  means  of 
making  my  will,  have  myself  committed  these  articles  to  writing, 
and  I  will  and  desire  that  they  have  the  same  force  as  if  they  wero 
made  in  due  form. 

"In  the  first  place,  I  declare  that  I  die  in  the  Catholic,  Apostolic, 
and  Romish  faith.  First,  I  desire  that  a  complete  service  be  per- 
formed for  my  sonl  in  the  church  of  St.  Denis,  in  France,  and  an- 
other at  St.  Peter's,  at  Rheims,  where  all  my  servants  are  to  attend 
in  such  manner  as  they  may  be  ordered  to  do,  by  those  to  whom  I 
have  given  directions,  and  who  are  named  herein. 

"Further,  that  an  annual  obit  be  founded  for  prayers  for  my 
Boul,  in  perpetuity,  in  such  place,  and  after  such  manner,  as  shall 
be-  deemed  most  convenient. 

"  To  furnish  funds  for  this,  I  will  that  my  houses  at  Fontaine- 
bleau  be  sold,  hoping  that  the  king  will  render  me  assistance,  as  I 
have  requested  him  to  do  in  my  memorandum. 

"I  will  that  my  estate  of  Trespagny  be  kept  by  my  cousin  do 
Guize,  for  one  of.  his  daughters,  if  she  should  come  to  be  married. 
In  these  quarters  I  relinquish  half  of  the  arrears  due  to  me,  or  a 
part,  on  condition  that  the  other  be  paid  in  order  to  be  expende»i 
by  my  executors  in  perpetual  alms. 


MART    QUEEN    OF  BOOTS. 


429 


"To  carry  this  into  effect  the  better,  the  documents  shall  be  look- 
ed  out,  and  delivered  according  to  tiie  aesignment  for  acconipliahing 
this. 

"I  will  also  that  the  money  which  may  arise  from  ray  lawsuit 
with  Sccondat  be  distributed  as  follows: 

"Firsts  in  the  discharge  of  my  debts  and  orders  hereafter  men- 
tioned, and  which  are  not  yet  paid ;  in  the  first  place,  the  two 
thousand  crowns  to  Courle ;  which  I  desire  to  be  paid  without  any 
hesitation,  they  being  a  marriage  portion,  upon  which  neither  Nau 
nor  any  other  person  has  any  claim,  whatever  obligation  he  may 
hold,  inasmuch  as  it  is  only  fictitious,  and  the  money  is  mine  and  not 
borrowed,  which  since  I  did  but  show  him,  and  afterward  with- 
drew it,  and  it  was  taken  from  me,  with  the  rest,  at  Chartelay ;  the 
which  I  gave  him,  provided  he  can  recover  it,  agreeably  to  my 
promise,  in  payment  of  the  four  thousand  francs  pi'omised  at  my 
death,  one  thousand  as  a  marriage  portion  for  an  own  sister,  and  ho 
having  asked  me  for  the  rest  for  his  expenses  in  prison.  As  to  the 
payment  of  a  similar  sum  to  JS'au,  it  is  not  obligatory,  and,  there- 
fore, it  has  always  been  my  intention  that  it  should  be  paid  last, 
and  then  only  in  case  he  should  make  it  appear  that  he  has  not  act- 
ed contrary  to  the  condition  upon  which  I  gave  it  him,  and  to  which 
my  servants  were  witnesses. 

"As  regards  the  twelve  hundred  crowns,  which  he  has  placed  to 
my  account,  as  having  been  borrowed  by  him  for  my  use,  six  hun- 
dred of  Beauregard,  three  hundred  of  Gervais,  and  the  remainder 
from  I  know  not  whom,  he  must  repay  them  out  of  his  own  mone}^,  and 
I  must  be  quit,  and  my  order  annulled,  as  I  have  not  received  any 
part  of  it,  consequently  it  must  be  still  in  his  possession,  unless  he 
has  paid  it  away.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  necessary  that  this  sum 
should  revert  to  me,  I  having  received  nothing ;  and  in  case  it  has 
cot  been  paid  away,  I  must  have  recourse  to  his  property.  I  fur- 
ther direct,  that  Pasquicr  shall  account  for  the  moneys  that  he  has 
expended  and  received  by  order  of  Nau,  from  the  hands  of  the  ser- 
vants of  Monsieur  de  Chasteauueuf,  the  French  ambassador. 

"Further  I  will  that  my  accounts  be  audited,  and  my  trenaurer 
paid 

*'  Fo-ther,  that  the  wages  and  sums  due  to  my  household,  as 
well  for  the  last  as  for  the  present  year,  be  paid  them  before  alJ 


430 


MAKY    QUEEN     OF  SCOTS. 


other  things,  both  -wages  and  penaions,  excepting  the  pensions  of 
IsTau  and  Courle,  until  it  be  ascertained  what  there  is  remaining,  OT 
■whether  they  have  merited  any  pensions  from  me,  unless  the  ■wifo 
of  Courle  be  in  necessity,  or  be  ill  treated  on  my  account :  the  wa- 
ges of  Nau  after  the  same  manner. 

"  I  will  that  the  two  thousand  four  hundred  francs  which  I  have 
given  to  Jeanne  Kenedy  be  paid  to  her  in  money,  as  it  was  stated 
in  my  first  deed  of  gift,  which  done,  the  pension  of  VoUy  Douglaa 
shall  revert  to  me,  which  I  give  to  Fontenay  for  services  and  ex- 
penses for  which  he  has  had  no  compensation. 

"I  will  that  the  four  thousand  francs  of  that  banker's  be  applied 
for  and  repaid ;  I  have  forgotten  his  name,  but  the  Bishop  of  Glas- 
cou  will  readily  recollect  it ;  and  if  the  first  order  be  not  honor- 
ed, I  desire  that  another  may  be  given  on  the  first  money  from 
Secondat. 

"  The  ten  thousand  francs  which  the  ambassador  has  received  for 
me,  I  will  that  they  be  distributed  among  my  servants  who  are  now 
going  away,  viz: 

"First,  two  thousand  francs  to  my  physician. 

«  "  "        Elizabeth  Courle. 

"  "  "        Sebastian  Paiges. 

"  "  "        Marie  Paiges,  my  god-daughter. 

**  "  "  Beauregard. 

A  thousand  francs  to  Gourgon. 
"  "  Gervais. 

"Further,  that  out  of  the  rest  of  my  revenue,  with  remainder  of 
Secondat' s,  and  all  other  casualties,  I  will  that  five  thousand  francs 
be  given  to  the  foundling  hospital  of  Rheims. 
"  To  my  scholars,  two  thousand  francs. 

"To  four  mendicants  such  sum  as  my  executors  may  think  fit, 
according  to  the  means  in  their  hands. 

"  Five  hundred  francs  to  the  hospitals. 

"To  Martin  esciiyer  de  cuisine,  I  give  a  thousand  francs. 

"A  thousand  francs  to  Annibal,  whom  I  recommend  tomycoTisin 
de  Guyse,  his  god-father,  to  place  in  some  situation,  for  his  life,  in 
hia  service. 

"  I  leave  five  hundred  francs  to  Nicolas,  and  five  hundred  francs 
for  his  daughters,  when  they  marry. 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


431 


"I  leave  five  hundred  francs  to  Robin  Hamilton  and  beg  my  soa 
to  take  liim  and  Monsieur  de  Glascou,  or  the  Bishop  of  Rosse. 

"I  leave  to  Didier  his  registership,  subject  to  the  approbation  of 
the  king. 

"I  give  five  hundred  francs  to  Jean  Lander,  and  beg  my  cousin 
of  Guj'se,  or  of  Mayne,  to  take  him  into  their  service,  and  Mcs- 
Bieurs  de  Glascou  and  de  Rosse  to  see  him  provided  for.  I  will  that 
his  father  be  paid  his  wages,  and  leave  him  five  hundred  francs. 

"I  will  that  one  thousand  francs  be  paid  to  Gourgeon,  for  money 
and  other  things  with  which  he  supplied  me  in  my  necessity. 

"  I  will  that  if  Bourgoing  should  perform  the  journey  agreeably  to 
the  vow  which  he  made  for  me  to  Saint  Nicolas,  that  fifteen 
hundred  francs  be  paid  to  him  for  that  purpose. 

"  I  leave,  according  to  my  slender  means,  six  thousand  francs  to 
the  Bishop  of  Glascou,  and  three  thousand  to  him  of  Rosse. 

"And  I  leave  the  gift  of  casualties  and  reserved  seignorial  rights 
to  my  god-son,  the  son  of  Monsieur  de  Ruisseau. 

*'  I  give  three  hundred  francs  to  Laurenz 

"Also,  three  hundred  francs  to  Suzanne. 

"And  leave  ten  thousand  francs  among  the  four  persons  who  have 
been  my  sureties,  and  to  Varmy,  the  solicitor. 

"  I  will  that  the  money  arising  from  the  furniture  which  I  hare 
ordered  to  be  sold  in  London,  shall  go  to  defray  the  travelling  ex- 
penses of  my  servants  to  France. 

"My  coach  I  leave  to  carry  the  ladies,  and  the  horses,  which  they 
can  sell,  or  do  what  they  like  with. 

"There  remains  about  three  hundred  crowns  due  to  Bourgoin^j, 
for  the  wages  of  past  years,  which  I  desire  may  be  paid  him. 

"  I  leave  two  thousand  francs  to  Melvin,  my  steward. 

"  I  appoint  my  cousin,  the  Duke  of  Guise,  principal  executor  of 
ray  will. 

"  After  him,  the  Archbishop  of  Glascou,  the  Bishop  of  Rosse,  and 
Monsieur  du  Ruisseau,  my  chancellor. 

"I  desire  that  Le  Preau  may,  without  obstacle,  hold  his  two  pre- 
bends. 

"  I  recommend  Marie  Paiges,  my  god-daughter,  to  my  cousin, 
Madam  de  Guise,  and  beg  her  to  take  her  into  her  service,  and  my 
aunt  de  Saint  »* 


432 


MAPwT    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


Memoraxdum —  Of  the  last  requests  which  I  make  to  the  King. 

"To  cause  to  be  paid  me  all  that  is  due  to  me  of  my  pensions,  as 
also  of  money  advanced  by  the  late  queen,  my  mother,  in  Scotland, 
for  the  service  of  the  king,  my  fathcr-in-law,  in  those  parts ;  that  at 
least  an  annual  obit  may  be  founded  for  my  soul,  and  that  the  alma 
and  the  little  endowments  promised  me,  may  be  carried  into  effect. 

"Further,  that  he  may  be  pleased  to  grant  me  the  benefit  of  my 
dowry  for  one  year  after  my  death,  to  recompense  my  servants. 

"  Further,  that  he  may  be  pleased  to  allow  them  their  wages  and 
pensions  during  their  lives,  as  was  done  to  the  officers  of  Queen 
Alienor.  Further,  I  entreat  him  to  take  my  physician  into  his  ser- 
vice, according  to  his  promise  to  consider  him  as  recommended. 

"Further,  that  my  almoner  maybe  replaced  in  his  profession, 
and  for  my  sake  have  some  trifling  benefice  conferred  upon  him, 
80  that  he  may  pray  to  God  for  my  soul,  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

"Further,  that  Didier,  an  old  officer  of  my  household,  whom  I 
have  recompensed  by  a  registership,  may  be  permitted  to  enjoy  it 
for  his  life,  being  already  far  advanced  in  years.  "Written  on  the 
morning  of  my  death,  this  Wednesday,  8th  of  February,  1587. 

Signed,  Maey  Queen. 

^N'otliing,  perhaps,  could  give  a  better  illustration 
of  the  clearness  of  Mary  Stuart's  intellect  on  the 
verge  of  old  age,  and  the  tranquillity  of  her  spirit  in 
view  of  death,  than  the  preparation  of  this  minute 
document.  Officers  of  the  realm  were  sleeping  with- 
in those  silent  walls ;  King  James  was  reposing  in 
Holjrood  palace ;  the  scaiffold  was  the  place  of  her 
next  appearing  before  men  ;  and  yet  she  moved  her 
facile  pen  without  trembling  or  wandering  thought. 
Depositing  her  papers  in  a  casket,  she  applied  herself 
to  preparation  for  the  block,  and  remarked,  she  must 
think  only  of  appearing  before  God. 


CHAPTER  X. 


MARY  Stuart's  last  slumber — the  mornixg  dawns  —  the  interview 

WITH  HER  SERVANTS  HER  DEVOTIONS  THE  SUMMONS  THE  CAPTIVE's 

DEATH-MARCH  HER  ADDRESS  ON  THE  SCAFFOLD  RELIGIOUS  SCENES  

THE  VICTIM  PREPARES  FOR  THE  SACRIFICE  THE  FATAL  STROKE  FUNE- 
RAL CEREMONIES  EFFECT  OF  MARy's  EXECUTION  ON  THE  PUBLIC  MIND  — 

HER  CHARACTER. 

The  almoner  of  Mary,  according  to  liel*  request, 
spent  the  midnight  hours  in  prayer,  and  sent  her  his 
absolution.  She  read  in  the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  and 
pausing  with  emotion  over  the  story  of  the  penitent 
thief,  remarked :  "  He  was  a  great  sinner  ;  but  not  so 
great  as  I  am.  I  beseech  our  Lord,  in  memoiy  of  his 
passion,  to  have  remembrance  and  mercy  of  me,  as 
he  had  of  him,  in  the  hour  of  death." 

She  then  sought  repose,  to  obtain  strength  for  the 
coming  trial  of  her  courage  and  immortal  hopes. 
Amid  the  tears  and  prayers  of  her  women,  the  illus- 
trious prisoner  slept.  As  the  beams  of  morning  stole 
through  the  guarded  windows  upon  her  pale  and 
mournful  features,  a  smile  of  martyr-triumph  passed 
over  them.  Whatever  her  true  rank  in  the  scale  of 
moral  being,  she  felt  herself  to  be  an  offering  to  God 
in  the  service  of  the  Catholic  church.    Eising  in  this 

S  .  28 


434 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


twilight  of  opening  day,  she  said  she  had  only  two 
hours  to  live  ;  and  immediately  commenced  prepara- 
tions for  the  scaffold.  Selecting  a  golden-fringed 
handkerchief  for  the  bandage  to  cover  her  eyes,  she 
arrayed  her  form  in  solemn  magnificence.  The  ser- 
vants were  gathered  about  her  —  the  will  read,  and 
the  gj^*ts  of  affection  committed  to  their  care  ;  while 
she  lavished  on  them  jewelry,  and  purses  of  coin, 
adding  expressions  of  consolation  to  alleviate  the 
grief  of  separation. 

Withdrawing  from  the  weeping  company,  she  went 
to  the  oratory,  where  she  was  accustomed  to  bow  with 
her  spiritual  counselor,  before  he  was  unfeelingly  ta- 
ken from  her.  The  supplications  of  the  dying  were 
falling  from  her  lips,  when  the  summons  of  her  exe- 
cutioners disturbed  the  earnest  worshiper.  She  de- 
sired to  finish  her  devotions,  and  was  allowed  to  con- 
tinue them.  In  a  few  moments  the  knocking  was 
renewed,  and  the  sheriff  entered.  Advancing  to  Ma- 
ry, who  had  not  moved,  he  lifted  his  white  wand,  and 
said,  "Madam,  the  lords  await  you,  and  have  sent  me 
to  you."  She  rose  from  her  knees,  and  replied,  "Yes, 
let  us  go."  One  of  the  attendants  handed  her  an 
ivory  crucifix  from  the  altar  ;  kissing  the  symbol,  she 
ordered  it  to  be  carried  before  her  to  the  place  of 
execution. 

Leaning,  in  her  weakness,  on  two  of  her  servants, 
she  reached  the  limits  of  her  own  apartments,  when 
they,  with  great  delicacy  of  feeling,  fell  into  the  pro- 
cession of  mourners,  and  left  her  to  the  servitors  of 
the  iailer.    At  the  staircase  wdiich  led  to  the  hall  of 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


435 


death  below,  the  servants  were  commanded  to  pauHe  ; 
entreaties  to  follow  the  Queen  were  in  vain  ;  and 
rushing  to  her  feet,  they  clung  with  sobs  to  her  dress, 
until  forcibly  removed.  Bearing  in  one  hand  a  pray- 
er-book, and  the  cross  in  tlie  other,  with  serene  and 
majestic  mien  she  descended  the  stejjs,  in  her  wid- 
ow's apparel ;  "  A  gown  of  dark  crimson  velvet  with 
black  satin  corsage,  from  wliich  chaplets  and  scapula- 
ries  w^ere  suspended,  and  which  was  surmounted  by 
a  cloak  of  figured  satin  of  the  same  color,  with  a  long 
train  lined  with  sable,  a  standing  up  collar  and  hang- 
ing sleeves.  A  white  veil  was  thrown  over  her, 
reaching  from  her  head  to  her  feet." 

When  she  entered  the  hall  Andrew  Melvil,  lier 
mdtre  (TJwtel^  met  her  to  bid  her  farewell.  Kneel- 
ing with  uncontrollable  grief,  Mary  embraced  him, 
and  with  words  of  gratitude  for  his  fidelity,  charged 
him  to  give  a  true  record  of  what  was  transpiring,  to 
James  YL,  her  son.  lie  answered,  "  It  will  be  the 
most  sorrowful  message  I  ever  carried,  to  announce 
that  the  Queen,  my  sovereign  and  dear  mistress, is 
dead."  With  a  faint  smile  she  said,  ''Thou  shouldst 
rather  rejoice,  good  Melvil,  that  Mary  Stuart  has  ar- 
rived at  the  close  of  her  misfortunes.  Thou  laiowest 
that  this  w^orld  is  indeed  full  of  troubles  and  misery. 
Bear  these  tidings  —  that  I  die  firm  in  my  religion,  a 
true  Catholic,  a  true  Scotch-woman,  a  true  French- 
woman. May  God  forgive  those  who  have  sought  my 
death.  The  Judge  of  the  secret  thoughts  and  actions 
of  men  knows,  that  I  have  always  desired  the  unicai 
of  England  and  Scotland.    Commend  me  to  my  son, 


436  MART    QUEEN    OF  SOOTS. 

and  tell  hiin  I  liave  never  done  anything  that  could 
prejudice  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom,  or  his  quality 
as  a  Xing,  nor  derogate  in  any  respect  from  our  sove- 
reign prerogative." 

Turning  to  the  Earls  of  Shrewsbury  and  Kent,  she 
requested  pardon  for  her  secretary.  Curie,  and  that 
the  servants  might  attend  her  to  the  scaffold.  The 
earls  expressing  a  fear  of  trouble  on  account  of  their 
wild  sorrow,  and  that  they  might  attempt  to  dip  their 
handkerchiefs  in  her  blood  :  she  replied  :  "  My  lords, 
I  pledge  my  word  that  they  will  do  nothing  of  the 
kind.  Alas  !  poor  souls,  they  will  be  gratified  at  ta- 
king leave  of  me ;  and  I  am  sure  your  mistress,  be- 
ing a  virgin  Queen,  would  not  refuse  to  allow  another 
Queen  to  have  her  women  about  her  at  the  moment 
of  her  death.  She  cannot  have  given  you  such  rig- 
orous orders.  You  would  grant  me  more  than  that 
even  if  I  were  a  person  of  lower  rank ;  and  yet,  my 
lords,  you  know  that  I  am  your  Queen's  cousin.  You 
certainly  will  not  refuse  me  this  last  request.  My 
poor  girls  desire  no  more  than  to  see  me  die." 

The  dying  wish  was  granted,  and  she  selected  Bur- 
goin,  her  j^hysician  ;  Gorion,  her  apothecary  ;  Gervais, 
her  surgeon  ;  Didier,  her  butler  ;  Jean  Kennedy  and 
Elizabeth  Curie.  Melvil  bore  the  train  of  the  Queen's 
dress.  The  scaffold  was  two  feet  and  a  half  higli, 
twelve  feet  square,  and  covered  with  black  cloth. 
The  chair,  cushion  on  whica  she  was  to  kneel,  and  the 
block,  were  all  overlaid  with  the  same  sombre  dra- 
pery. With  as  much  dignity,  repose  of  manner,  and 
gracefulness,  as  though  ascending  a  throne,  Mary 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


437 


stepped  upon  the  scaffold,  and  sat  down  in  the  chair 
of  death. 

On  her  right  hand  was  seated  the  earls ;  on  her  left 
stood  the  sheriff;  the  two  executioners  were  in  front, 
dressed  in  black  velvet,  and  the  servants  lined  the 
walls;  while  two  hundred  people  from  the  adja- 
cent country,  crowded  the  barred  area  of  the  si- 
lent hall.  It  was  a  sad  and  movino:  sio-ht.  The 
fallen  Queen,  with  the  outline  of  fading  beauty- 
still  visible,  around  whose  fate  in  that  gloomy  castle 
there  was  a  w^orld-wide  interest,  sat  calmly  beholding 
the  throng,  and  awaiting  the  fatal  stroke.  Beale  then 
read  the  sentence,  to  which  Mary  listened  unmoved. 

"When  it  was  concluded,  she  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  and  said  in  clear  accents, 

"  My  lords,  I  am  a  Queen  born,  a  sovereign  prin- 
cess, not  subject  to  the  laws,  a  near  relation  of  the 
Queen  of  England,  and  lier  lawful  heiress.  After 
having  been  long  and  unjustly  detained  prisoner  in 
this  country,  where  I  have  endured  much  pain  and 
evil,  though  nobody  had  any  right  over  me,  being 
now,  through  the  strength  and  under  the  power 
of  men,  ready  to  forfeit  my  life,  I  thank  God  for 
permitting  me  to  die  for  my  religion,  and  in  presence 
of  a  company  who  will  bear  witness  that,  just  before 
my  death,  I  protested,  as  I  have  always  done,  both  in 
private  and  in  public,  that  I  never  contrived  any 
means  of  putting  the  Queen  to  death,  nor  consented 
to  anything  against  her  person." 

She  added  again  her  denial  of  enmity  toward  any, 
and  of  designs  against  Elizabeth.    Engaging  in  fer- 


438 


MARY    QUEEN   OF  SCOTS. 


vent  prayer,  the  Protestant  dean,  Dr.  Fletclier,  inter- 
rupted her,  an  1  exhorted  her  to  prepare  to  die.  Ke- 
jecting  his  offices,  she  told  him  that,  firm  in  the  Catholic 
faith,  she  expected  to  shed  her  blood  for  it.  He  urged 
her  to  repent,  when  Marj  indignantly  bade  him  be 
silent.  The  earls  then  said  they  wished  to  ofier  pray- 
er in  lier  behalf 

She  answered,  "  My  lords,  if  you  will  pray  with 
me,  I  will  even  from  my  heart  thank  you,  and  think 
myself  greatly  favored  by  you ;  but  to  join  in  prayer 
with  you  in  your  manner,  who  are  not  of  one  religion 
with  me,  it  were  a  sin,  and  I  will  not."  Thus  did  the 
Keformation  battle  with  Papacy  on  the  platform  of 
bloody  penalty.  The  Dean  proceeded  with  the  fol- 
lowing eloquent  petition  : 

"Oil,  most  gracious  God  and  merciful  father,  who,  according  to 
the  multitude  of  thy  mercies,  dost  so  put  away  the  sins  of  them 
that  truly  repent,  that  thou  rememberest  them  no  more,  open,  we 
beseech  thee,  thine  eyes  of  mercy,  and  behold  this  person  appoint- 
ed unto  death,  whose  eyes  of  understanding  and  spiritual  light,  al 
beit  thou  hast  hitherto  shut  up,  that  the  glorious  beams  of  thy 
favor  in  Jesus  Christ  do  not  shine  .upon  her,  but  is  possessed  with 
blindness  and  ignorance  of  heavenly  things  (a  certain  token  of 
heavy  displeasure,  if  thy  unspeakable  mercy  do  not  triumph  against 
thy  judgment)  yet,  O  Lord  our  God,  impute  not,  we  beseech  thee, 
unto  her  those  her  offences,  which  separate  her  from  thy  mercy; 
and,  if  it  may  stand  with  thine  everlasting  purpose  and  good  pleas- 
ure, 0  Lord,  grant  unto  us,  we  beseech  thee,  this  mercy,  which  is 
about  thy  throne,  that  the  eyes  of  her  heart  may  be  enlightened, 
that  she  may  be  converted  unto  thee;  and  grant  her  also,  if  it  be 
thy  blessed  will,  the  heavenly  comfort  of  thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  she 
may  taste  and  see  how  gracious  the  Lord  is.  Thou  hast  no  pleasure, 
good  Lord,  in  the  death  of  a  sinner,  and  no  man  shall  praise  thy 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


439 


name  in  the  pit;  renew  in  her,  0  Lord,  we  most  humblv  beseech 
thy  majesty,  whatsoever  is  corrupt  in  lier,  either  by  her  own  frail- 
ty, or  by  the  malice  of  the  ghostly  enemy ;  visit  her,  0  Lord,  if  it 
be  thy  good  pleasure,  with  thy  saving  health,  as  thou  didnt  the  of- 
fender at  the  side  of  thy  cross,  with  this  consolation:  This  day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise.  Say  unto  her  soul,  as  thou  did.-,t 
unto  thy  servant  David,  I  atn  thy  salvation ;  so  shall  they  mercy, 
being  more  mighty,  be  more  magnified.  Grant  these  mercies,  O 
Lord,  to  us  thy  servants,  to  the  increase  of  thy  kingdom,  and  glory 
at  this  time.  And  further,  0  most  merciful  Father,  preserve,  we 
most  humbly  beseech  thy  majesty,  in  long  and  honorable  peace  and 
safety,  Elizabeth  thy  servant,  our  most  natural  sovereign  lady  and 
queen ;  let  them  be  ashamed  and  confounded,  0  Lord,  that  seek  af- 
ter her  soul ;  let  them  be  turned  backward  and  put  to  confusion 
that  Avish  her  evil;  and  strengthen  still,  Lord,  we  pray  thee,  the 
hand  and  balance  of  justice  amongst  us,  by  her  gracious  govern- 
ment;  so  shall  we,  both  now  and  ever,  rest  under  thy  faithfulness 
and  truth,  as  under  our  shield  and  buckler,  and  bless  thy  name  and 
magnify  thy  mercy,  which  livest  and  reignest  one  most  gracious 
God,  forever  and  ever.  Amen." 

Mary  did  not  heed  tlie  Dean,  but  bowed  in  devotion 
till  he  ceased,  when,  records  a  spectator  : 

"She  rose,  and  kneeled  downe  agayne,  praying  in  English,  for 
Christe's  afflicted  church,  an  end  of  hir  troubles,  for  hir  soune,  and 
for  the  Queen's  majestye;  to  God  for  forgiveness  of  the  sinns  of 
them  in  this  islande :  Shee  forgave  hir  ennemyes  with  all  hir  harte, 
that  had  longe  sought  hir  blood.  This  done,  she  desired  all  salutes 
to  make  intercession  for  hir  to  the  Saviour  of  the  worlde,  Jesus 
Christ.  Then  she  began  to  kiss  hir  crucifix,  and  to  cross  hirself, 
saying  these  wordes:  'Even  as  thy  armes,  oh,  Jesus  Christ,  were 
spredd  heer  upon  the  cross,  so  receive  me  into  the  armes  of  mer- 
eye.'  Then  the  two  executioners  kneeled  downe  unto  hir,  desiring 
hir  to  forgive  them  hir  death.  Shee  answered,  "I  forgive  yow 
with  all  uiy  harte.  For  I  hope  this  death  shall  give  an  end  to  all 
my  troubles.'  They,  with  hir  two  weonien  helping,  began  to  dis- 
roabe  hir,  and  then  shee  iayde  the  crucifix  upon  the  stoole.  Ou6 


MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


of  the  executioners  took  from  her  neck  the  Agnus  Dei,  and  shee 
layde  hold  of  it,  saying,  she  would  give  it  to  one  of  hir  weonien, 
and,  withal,  told  the  executioner  that  he  ^h:»uld  havemonye  for  it. 
Then  they  took  off  her  chayne.  Shie  made  hirself  unready  with 
a  kiude  of  gladness,  and  smiling,  putting  on  a  payer  of  sleeves  with 
her  own  handes,  which  the  twoo  executioners  before  had  rudely 
put  off,  and  with  such  speed,  as  if  shee  had  longed  to  be  gone  out 
of  the  worlde. 

"During  the  disroabing  of  tliis  queen,  shee  never  altered  hir 
countenance,  but  smiling  sayde,  shee  nev^r  had  such  groomes  be- 
fore to  make  hir  unread^-e,  nor  ever  did  putt  of  hir  cloathes  before 
Buch  a  companye.  At  lengthe  unattyred  and  unapparrelled  to  hir 
petticoat  and  kirtle,  the  two  weomen  burst  out  into  a  great  andpit- 
tiful  shrieking,  crying  and  lamentation,  crossed  themselves  and 
prayed  in  Lattine.  The  queen  turned  towards  them:  ^Ne  cry  vous, 
^aypreye  pur  vous : '  and  so  crossed,  and  kissed  them,  and  bad  them 
pray  for  hir. 

"Then  with  a  smiling  countenance  shee  turned  to  her  men  ser- 
vants, Melvin  and  the  rest,  crossed  them,  badd  them  farwell,  and 
pray  for  her  to  the  last. 

"One  of  the  weomen  having  a  Corpus  Christi  cloatlie,  lapped  it 
upp  three  corner  wise,  and  kissed  it,  and  put  it  over  the  face  of  hir 
queen,  and  pynned  it  fast  upon  the  caule  of  hir  head.  Then  the 
two  weomen  departed.  The  queen  kneeled  downe  upon  the  cush- 
ion resolutely,  and,  without  any  token  of  feare  of  deathe,  sayde 
allowde  in  Lattin  the  psalme.  In  te  domine,  conjido.  Then  groap- 
ing  for  the  block,  she  layde  down  hir  head,  putting  hir  cheane  over 
her  back  with  bothe  her  liandes,  which,  holding  their  still,  had  been 
cut  off,  had  they  not  been  espyed. 

"Then  she  layde  hirself  upon  the  blocke  most  quietly,  and  stretch- 
ing out  hir  armes,  crj^ed  out:  In  mamis  tuas,  dornine,  comme.ido  spir- 
itum  meum,  three  or  four  tymes. 

"Att  last,  while  one  of  the  executioners  held  hir  strelghtly  with 
one  of  his  handes,  the  other  gave  two  stroakes  with  an  axe  before 
he  did  cutt  of  hir  head. 

"Shee  made  very  smale  noyse,  no  part  stirred  from  the  place 
where  shee  laye.  The  executioners  lifted  upp  the  head,  and  bad 
God  save  the  Queen.    Then  hir  dressinge  of  Lawne  fell  from  hir 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


441 


head,  which  appeared  as  graye  as  if  shee  had  byn  thre  score  and 
ten  yeares  olde.  Hir  face  much  altred,  hir  lipps  stirred  upp  and 
down  almost  a  quarter  of  an  hower  after  hir  head  was  cut  off. 
Then  sayde  Mr.  Deane:  'So  perish  all  the  Queen's  ennemyes.'  The 
Earl  of  Kent  camme  to  the  dead  body,  and  with  a  lower  voice  sayde, 
'Such  end  happen  to  all  the  Queen's  and  Gospell's ennemyes.'  One 
of  the  executioners  espyed  hir  little  dogg  which  was  crept  under 
hir  cloathes,  which  would  not  be  gotten  fourth  but  with  force,  and 
afterwardes  would  not  departe  from  the  dead  corps,  but  camme  and 
layde  between  hir  head  and  shoulders  ;  a  thing  much  noted.  The 
dogg  embrewed  in  her  blood  was  carryed  awaye  and  washed,  as  all 
things  els  were  that  had  any  blood,  save  those  thinges  which  were 
burned.  The  executioners  were  sent  awaye  with  mony  for  their 
fees,  not  having  any  one  thyng  that  belonged  unto  hir.  After- 
wardes every  one  was  commanded  forth  of  the  hall,  saving  the 
Sherife  and  his  men,  who  carrj^  ed  hir  up  into  a  great  chamber  made 
ready  for  the  Surgeons  to  embalme  hir,  and  there  shee  was  em- 
balmed." 

The  "  things  burned,"  were  the  golden  cross,  the 
chaplets  suspended  to  her  girdle,  and  the  apparel  in 
•which  she  was  beheaded,  that  they  might  not  be  kept 
as  relics  by  her  friends  of  like  faith. 

The  castle  gates  were  closed,  and  none  allowed  to 
depart,  until  Henry  Talbot,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Shrews- 
bury, was  dispatched  to  Elizabeth  with  the  account 
of  the  tragedy.  He  reached  Greenwich,  where  Eliz- 
abeth then  was,  February  9th,  1587.  Before  sunset 
the  news  spread  over  London ;  the  ringing  of  bells 
and  illuminations  proclaimed  the  wild  and  fanatical 
rejoicings  of  the  populace. 

The  funeral  pageant  is  described  by  an  eye  wit- 
ness of  the  imposing  ceremonies : 
s* 


MAKY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


FUNEEAL  AND  INTERMENT  OF  MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  * 

"On  Sunda}',  the  30th  of  July,  reckoning  accordint^  to  the  new 
reformation  of  the  calendar,  the  8th  of  Augxist,  1587,  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  there  came  to  Fotheringay  Castle,  a  carriage 
drawn  b}'  four  horses,  attired  in  mourning,  and  covered  with  black  vel* 
yet  with  the  arms  of  Scotland,  the  carriage  or  coach  covered  in  like 
manner  all  round  with  small  banneroles,  exhibiting  partly  the  arms 
of  Scotland,  partly  those  of  the  house  of  Anjou,  from  which  the  de- 
ceased husband  of  her  majesty  was  descended.  The  king  of  the 
heralds  having  arrived  with  about  twenty  men  on  horseback,  both 
gentlemen  and  others,  and  some  servitors  and  lacqueys,  all  dressed 
in  mourning,  went  up  to  the  chamber  where  the  corpse  was,  direc- 
ted it  to  be  carried  down  and  put  into  the  same  carriage,  which  was 
done  with  all  possible  reverence,  all  bare-headed  and  in  silence; 
•while  this  was  doing,  the  servants,  to  whom  no  notice  had  been 
given,  astonished  at  these  preparations,  were  consulting  among 
themselves  whether  they  ought  to  offer  to  follow  the  body  to  see 
what  was  going  to  be  done  with  it,  deeming  that  it  was  not  their 
duty  to  let  it  be  carried  away  without  being  accompanied  by  some 
of  them,  the  said  king  of  the  heralds  went  and  explained  to  them 
the  commission  which  he  had  received  from  his  mistress,  touching 
the  interment  of  the  body  and  the  funeral  which  she  had  promised, 
for  which  he  had  been  commanded  to  make  arrangements,  and  to 
pay  all  the  honors  to  the  deceased  that  he  could.  Whereupon, 
wi.shing  to  compl}^  with  these  directions,  and  having  already  prepared 
many  things  necessary  for  this  purpose,  it  was  thought  more  expedi- 
ent to  remove  the  corpse  that  night,  than  to  wait  till  the  day  fixed  for 
its  interment,  which  was  the  following  Tuesday,  as  well  on  account 
of  the  distance,  which  was  about  three  French  leagues  from  thence, 
and  because  the  leaden  cofiin  would  be  too  heavy  to  be  carried  in 
state,  and  it  could  not  take  place  on  the  day  appointed,  without  col- 
lecting a  great  concourse  of  people,  and  producing  confusion,  or 
default  of  some  kind;  and  as  the  vault  was  already  made,  they  pro- 
posed to  deposit  the  body  in  it  this  night,  and  on  the  Tuesday  to 

*  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  this  paper,  written  in  French, 
proceeds  from  one  who  had  belonged  to  the  household  of  the  Queen 
of  Scots. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


443 


perform  tlie  funeral  obsequies  with  due  ccrcruony,  for  the  greater 
convenience ;  and  that  it  was  advisable  for  some  of  tliem,  sucli  aa 
they  should  think  proper,  to  accompany  the  corpse,  and  to  see  what 
should  be  done  with  it,  and  that  tlie  rest  of  the  servants  should  go 
thither  next  day  to  attend  the  funeral  on  the  day  a])poiuted. 

"All  being  thus  prepared,  the  corpse  was  carried  out  about  ton 
o'clock  at  night,  accompanied  by  the  said  herald  and  other  English, 
with  seven  servants  of  her  majesty,  namely.  Monsieur  Melvin,  Mon- 
sieur Burgoin,  Pierre  Corion,  Annibal  Stonard,  Jean  Lander,  and 
Nicolas  de  la  Mare,  preceded  by  men  on  foot  bearing  lighted  torches, 
to  give  light  on  the  road,  and  arrived  about  two  in  the  morning  at 
Peterbourg,  which  is  a  small  town,  not  walled  any  more  tlian  the 

other  towns  of  England,  on  the  river,  where  has 

been  built  a  very  handsome  church,  the  work  of  an  ancient  king 
of  England  named  Peda.  Here,  in  the  times  of  the  Catliolic  reli- 
gion, there  was  an  abbey  of  monks  of  St  Benedict,  now  erected 
into  a  bishopric  —  for  all  the  abbeys  have  been  suppressed  —  where 
canons  officiate  to  their  institution,  in  the  same  sort  of  dress  and 
vestment  as  ours. 

"In  this  church  was  interred  that  good  Queen  Catherine,  wife  of 
the  late  King  Henry  VIII.,  on  the  left  side  within  the  clioir,  where 
there  is  still  her  monument,  adorned  with  a  canop}-,  with  her  armo- 
rial bearings.  On  the  right  side,  exactly  opposite,  was  made  a  grave, 
bricked  all  round,  and  of  sufficient  depth,  wherein  was  deposited  the 
corpse  of  her  majesty  in  the  two  coffins.  In  the  middle  of  the  choir 
was  erected  a  dome,  resembling  the  chapelles  ardentes  in  France,  ex- 
cepting that  it  was  covered  with  black  velvet,  garnished  all  over 
with  the  arms  of  Scotland,  with  bipartite  banneroles,  as  it  has  been 
said.  Wit  hin  it  was  placed  the  representation,  which  was  in  the  form 
of  a  bier  covered  with  black  velvet,  and  upon  it  a  pillow  of  crimson 
velvet,  on  which  was  laid  a  crown.  The  church  was  hung  with 
black  cloth,  from  the  door  to  the  interior  of  the  choir,  sprinkled 
with  the  said  armorial  bearings. 

"On  the  arrival  of  the  body,  the  bishop  of  the  said  town  of  Pe- 
tevbourg,  in  his  episcopal  habit,  but  without  mitre,  crosier  or  cope, 
with  the  dean  and  some  others  in  their  canonicals,  came  to  receive 
the  body  at  the  entrance  of  the  church,  and  preceded  it  to  the  said 
grave,  in  which  it  was  put  in  the  presence  of  all,  without  chanting, 


4A4:  MART    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 

or  tolling,  or  saying  a  word;  and  then  they  deliberated  about  say 
ing  some  customary  prayers,  but  agreed  to  defer  them  till  the  day 
of  the  funeral.  The  workmen  immediately  set  about  making  an 
arch  of  brick  over  the  grave,  which  covered  the  whole,  level  with 
the  ground,  leaving  only  an  aperture  of  about  a  foot  and  a  hal^ 
through  which  might  be  seen  what  was  within,  and  also  for  admitting 
the  broken  staves  of  the  officers  and  the  flags,  which  it  is  customary 
to  put  down  at  the  funerals  of  sovereigns. 

"  On  Monday,  the  preparations  were  completed ;  the  rooms  in 
which  the  banquet  was  to  be  held  were  hung,  and  the  herald  re- 
quested the  servants  who  had  come  hither  to  look  at  and  consider 
the  whole,  explaining  how  he  intended  to  proceed ;  that  if  they  saw 
anything  wanting,  anything  that  needed  amending  or  correcting, 
whatever  it  might  be,  that  they  thought  not  proper,  and  it  should 
be  made  to  their  satisfaction ;  that  such  was  the  pleasure  of  his  mis- 
tress, that  nothing  was  to  be  spared ;  and  that  if  he  had  failed  to 
obey  these  directions  it  would  be  his  fault,  wishing  the  whole  to 
be  done  in  the  most  honorable  manner  possible.  Whereto  answer 
was  very  coldly  made,  that  it  was  not  for  them  to  find  fault;  that 
his  mistress  and  he  were  discreet  enough  to  do  what  was  right, 
as  they  had  agreed,  and  that  the  whole  was  dependent  on  their 
pleasure. 

"  The  Queen  of  England  had  some  days  before  sent  cloth  to  make 
mourning  for  the  servants  of  her  majesty,  as  much  as  was  necessary 
for  the  men  to  make  a  cloak  a-piece  for  Monsieur  Melvin,  Monsieur 
Bourgoin,  and  a  gown  for  each  of  the  women,  but  some  of  them  de- 
clined it,  making  shift  with  their  own  dresses,  wliich  they  had  got 
made  for  mourning  immediately  after  the  death  of  the  deceased 
and  as  the  head  dresses  of  the  ladies  and  women  were  not  according 
to  the  fashion  of  the  country  for  mourning,  a  woman  was  sent 
on  purpose  to  make  others  in  their  fashion,  to  be  worn  by  them 
on  the  day  of  the  funeral,  and  to  be  theirs  afterward;  so  anxious 
was  that  sweet  Elizabeth  to  have  it  believed  that  she  was  sor- 
ry for  the  death  of  her  majesty,  that  she  furnished  all  the  mourn- 
ing dresses  worn  by  those  who  walked  in  the  procession,  more 
than  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  number,  paying  the  whole  expense. 

The  procession  was  composed  of "  poor  women 
mourners  to  the  number  of  one  hundred,"  the  nobili- 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


445 


ty,  with  their  attendants,  grooms  of  the  chamber, 
Scots  in  cloaks,  officers  of  the  realm,  and  the  corpse, 
borne  by  six  esquires  in  cloaks.  In  the  procession 
were  borne  the  standard  of  Scotland,  the  great  ban- 
ner, the  helm,  crest,  target,  sword,  coat,  etc.,  together 
with  eight  bannerols,  and  the  canopy,  of  black  velvet, 
fringed  with  gold,  borne  by  four  knights. 

"The  body  being  thus  brought  into  the  quire,  was  set  down  within 
the  royal  hearse,  which  was  twenty  feet  square,  and  twenty-seven 
feet  in  height,  covered  over  with  black  velvet,  and  richly  set  with 
escutcheons  of  arms  and  fringe  of  gold ;  upon  tlie  body,  wliich  wag 
covered  with  a  pall  of  black  velvet,  lay  a  purple  velvet  cushion, 
fringed  and  tasseled  with  gold,  and  upon  the  same  a  close  crown  of 
gold  set  with  stones ;  after  the  body  was  thus  placed,  and  every 
mourner  according  to  their  degree,  the  sermon  was  begun  by  the 
Bishop  of  Lincoln,  after  which  certain  anthems  were  sung  by  the 
choir,  and  the  offering  began  very  solemnly,  as  followeth : 
"The  Offering. 

"First,  the  chief  mourner  offered  for  the  queen,  attended  upon  by 
all  ladies.  The  coat,  sword,  target,  and  helme,  was  severally  car- 
ried up  by  the  two  Earls  of  Rutland  and  Lincoln,  one  after  another, 
and  received  by  the  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  and  Mr.  Garter,  king 
at  arms. 

The  standard  alone. 

The  great  banner  alone. 

The  lady  chief  mourner  alone. 

The  trayne-bearer  alone. 

The  two  earls  together. 

The  lord  steward.    The  lord  chamberlayne. 

The  Bishop  of  Lincoln  alone. 

The  four  lords  assistants  to  the  body. 

The  treasurer,  comptroller,  and  vice-chamberlayne. 

Tlie  four  knights  that  bore  the  canopy. 
"In  which  offeringe  every  course  was  led  up  by  a  herald,  for  tho 
more  order;  after  which,  the  two  bishops  and  the  Dean  of  Peter- 
borough came  to  the  vault,  and  over  the  body  began  to  read  th« 


446 


MARY     QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


funeral  service :  which  being  said,  every  officer  broke  his  staff  over 
his  head,  and  threw  the  same  into  the  vault  to  the  body ;  and  so  every 
one  departed,  as  they  came,  after  their  degrees,  to  the  bishop's  pal- 
ace, where  was  prepared  a  most  royal  feast,  and  a  dole  given  unto 
the  poor." 

Delivered  from  one  cause  of  fear,  Elizabeth  was 
tormented  with  apprehensions  of  danger  from  the  for- 
eign princes,  whose  protest  she  had  scorned.  Affect- 
ing ignorance  of  Mary's  death,  she  despised  and  pun- 
ished the  agents  of  her  cruel  work.  She  even  denied 
either  knowledge  or  approval  of  the  execution. 
France  heard  with  surprise  and  sadness  of  the  event, 
and  anathemas  w^ere  thundered  by  the  priesthood 
against  the  "English  Jezebel."  The  king  of  Scot- 
land, in  hot  indignation,  declared  vengeance  upon  the 
slayer  of  his  mother.  The  Queen  wrote  letters  of 
explanation  and  conciliation.  Philip  II.  seriously  in- 
dulged the  design  of  avenging  Mary's  death.  The 
grand  armada,  and  its  destruction,  were  the  fruits  of 
his  anger.  Elizabeth,  victorious  over  all  enemies, 
advanced  the  grandeur  and  glory  of  England.  When 
dying,  March  24th,  1602,  she  was  desired  to  declare 
her  successor ;  she  replied,  "  Who  but  my  kinsman, 
the  King  of  Scots  ?"  and  soon  after  expired,  a  learn- 
ed, powerful,  vain,  haughty,  violent,  and  dissimula- 
ting sovereign.  She  sleeps  beside  her  rival  in  West- 
minster Abbey.  Mary  Stuart  was  born  while  her 
father,  James  Y.,  was  sinking  with  a  fatal  wound  re- 
ceived in  battle  for  the  independence  of  Scotland. 
Around  her  cradle  began  the  contest,  whether  a 
French  alliance  or  the  house  of  Tudor  should  prevail. 


MARY    QUEEN    OF  SCOTS. 


447 


France  for  a  while  was  triumphant,  and  gave  to  Mary 
all  the  happiness  she  ever  knew.  She  ascended  the 
throne  of  Scotland,  w^ith  the  Eeformation  rocking  her 
nativ3  soil  w^ith  earthquake  violence.  AVith  the  re- 
finement and  corruption  of  a  dazzling  court  affecting 
her  manners  and  feelings,  and  a  witching  beauty  of 
person,  she  had  no  sympathy  with  either  the  customs 
or  religion  of  her  Protestant  subjects.  Gallantries 
made  her  obnoxious  to  the  contempt  of  the  Puritans, 
and  weakened  her  influence  with  the  people.  Unfor- 
tunate in  her  marriages,  impulsive  in  her  passions, 
ambitious  in  her  aims,  and  a  firm  Catholic,  she  lost 
her  crown  at  the  hand  of  the  Peformers,  and  impru- 
dently threw  herself  upon  the  mercy  of  Elizabeth, 
whose  successor  she  determined  to  be.  Plots  and 
conspiracies  completed  her  ruin,  which  unyielding  ri- 
valry sealed  with  blood. 

Mary  Stuart  was  a  charming  woman  in  mind,  per- 
sonal loveliness,  and  conversation.  But  an  impure 
breath  soiled  her  young  heart ;  soaring  aspirations 
lured  her  ever  onward  from  one  doubtful  experiment 
to  another ;  and  adherence  to  an  exclusive,  persecu- 
ting faith,  lent  the  delusive  zeal  of  the  fanatic  to  her 
religious  life.  Her  unfilial  son  attained  to  the  honor 
she  so  ardently  desired  for  him,  and  both  have  slept 
during  the  fierce  commotions  of  centuries,  in  the  mag- 
nificent tomb  of  kings.  Both,  with  the  imperious 
Elizabeth,  have  confronted  a  Judge  w^ho  is  no  respect- 
er of  persons,  and  renders  to  each  immortal,  righteous 
judgment.  To  the  blind  and  to  the  impartial  admirer 
of  Mary,  there  is  alike  a  picture  of  female  character, 


448 


MAKY    QTDEEN    01^'  SCOTS. 


amid  whose  brilliant  lines  and  gloomy  shades  there 
are  touches  of  life's  pencil,  suggestive  of  chastening 
thoughts,  and  illustrative  of  the  transcendent  excel- 
lence of  Christian  purity  and  principle,  which  would 
have  adorned  and  saved  from  premature  wreck, 
genius,  love,  and  beauty. 


Gentle  Dora ! !  -Dashing  Maggie ! ! ! 
MRS.  MARY  J.  HOLMES'  NEW  STORIES, 

DOiU  DEAiNE  and  MAGGIE  MILLER 

In  One  neat  12mo.  Volume.  474  pages.  Price  $1.00. 


Mrs  Holmes  endeavors  to  touch  tlie  heart,  to  take  what  i.s  pure  and  excellent  nn 
bold  it  up  to  the  reader  in  contrast  with  what  i.s  vile  and  deceptive.    And  in  this  siie 
excels.    The  fireside,  we  are  sure,  will  thank  her  heartily  for  these  books,  and  preM-r\  e 
them  with  religious  strictness,  for  they  are  entertaining  as  woU  as  instructive. — Xrio 
York  Commercial  Times. 

The  two  tales  in  this  new  volume  are  dellshtful,  and  will  be  well  received  by  the 
many  who  have  derived  so  much  entertainment  from  their  predecessors. — Boston  Trari. 

There  is  an  air  of  truthfulness  in  her  common-'^ense  style,  an  absence  of  exairirerKtion 
and  of  high  coloring,  which  conveys  a  sense  of  repose  to  the  mind  wliii  h  has  fed  on  the 
artificial  stimulus  of  exciting  novels.  Her  womanly  gentleness  wins  the  heart,  and  he' 
charming  fancy  throws  a  spell  over  the  imagination.— Free  Prens. 

The  incidents  in  both  these  stories  are  such  as  pertain  to  daily  experience,  and  on 
that  account  they  bring  out  more  touohingly  the  tndts  of  individuals  in  whom  the 
author  determines  to  interest  her  readers.  Her  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  in 
cldldhood.  and  in  the  multiform  trials  of  woman's  lot,  gives  her  the  power  of  an  expe- 
rienced artist. — N.  Y.  Express. 

S'le  ha?  the  hnppy  faculty  of  enlisting  the  sympathies  and  affections  of  her  reader.'*, 
and  of  holding  their  attention  to  her  pa'ges  with  deep  and  absorbing  interest— .4^ut/7<^ 
Times. 

Tl^e  two  stories  which  make  up  this  volume — "  Dora  Deane'"  and  "  Maggie  Miller"— 
have  the  elements  of  as  wide  a  jiopularity  as  either  of  their  predecessors.  "  She  wields  a 
graceful  and  graphic  pen.  Her  characters  are  skilfully  portrayed,  and  she  never  fails 
to  win  and  retain  the  good  oj)inion  of  her  readers.  She  has  not  failed  in  this  agreeable 
volume. — Detroit  Advertiser. 

These  stories  are  told  in  her  best  manner.  "  M.iggie  Miller' will  be  found  particu- 
Sirly  interesting.  Tlie  cliaracters  are  finely  drawn,  and  the  incidents  are  life-like  and 
truthful.— ZrOioeZZ  Vox  Popali. 

The  stories  in  this  volume  will  be  read  by  every  lover  of  fiction  with  unadulternted 
satisfaction.  As  a  student  of  human  character  Mrs.  Holmes  has  few  equals,  an<l  her 
descriptive  faculties  are  of  a  superior  order.  "  Maggie  Miller"  esjiecially  demonstrate? 
this  fact  Some  of  its  passages,  as  specimens  of  "spirited  composition,  are  seldom 
excelled. —  Troy  Times. 

The  two  stories  in  the  work  before  us  are  among  the  most  entertaining  the  talented 
authoress  has  ever  written  ;  there  is,  throughout  both,  a  charm  and  a  beauty  which 
cannot  fail  to  please,  and  they  have  not  a  dull  page  within  them.  The  characters  are 
sketched  with  a  master  pen — not  overwrought,  but  yet  so  earnestly  life-liko  as  to  be  lull 
cf  interest— and  an  easy  grace  pervades  i\x&  viY) Aa—Lawience  American. 


Also  ready,  uniform  in  style  with  the  above,  New  Editions  of 

LENA  RIVERS,  41 G  pages,  12mo.  SI. 00 

HOMESTEAD  ON  THE  HILLSIDE,  380  pages,  12mo.  $1.00 

MEADOW  BROOK;  or,  ROSA  LEE,  380  pages,  12mo.  $1.00 

MRS.  HOMIES'  WORKS, 

Dniform  style,  4  vols.,  scarlet  cloth,  $4.00.-4  vols.,  half-calf,  $G.00 


Sold  by  all  Book.sellevs.  Shigle  copies  sent  by  mail,  postage  paid,  upou 
roceipt  of  the  price. 

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25  Park  Pmc,  Xeic  York, 


Quiet,  Gentle,  Home-like,  Earnest,  Trnthful. 


MEADOW  BROOK;  or,  ROSA  LEE. 

BY  MARY  J.  HOLMES, 

Author  of  "  'Lena  Eivers,"  "  Homestead  on  the  Hillside,"  etc.,  etc. 
One  Volume,  12ino,  380  pages.  Price  $1  00. 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

No  admirer  of  Mrs.  Holmes'  writings  will  thank  us  for  a  "critical"  opinion  of  this, 
Ler  latest  and  best  work.  The  time  for  such  a  thing  h:is  gone  by.    But  surely  they  will 
pardon  us  if  we  dwell  lingeringly  and  lovingly  over  one  or  two  of  her  characters: — the 
angel-like  Jessie,  the  rightly-named  Angel  of  the  Pines,  who,  though  a  chilil.  went 
about  like  a  ministering  angel,  when  all  others  had  fled  the  pestilence  that  walked  at 
noonday,  and  at  last  fell  before  its  withering  stroke.    Surely,  if  a  tear  falls  herC;  it  falls 
in  the  riglit  place.    And  then  Rosa: — llosa  at  thirteen  the  schoolmistress  and  in  love. 
One  year  after,  Kosa  the  governess  was  again  in  love.    How  we  are  interested  in  the 
tangled  web  of  her  life-e.xperience,  and  how  we  rejoice  wlien  at  last  the  orange-flowers 
crown  her  brow,  and  the  storm-tossed  barque  reaches  the  sure  havea  of  repose : 
"  The  blessing  given,  the  ring  is  on ; 
And  at  God's  altar  radiant  run 
The  currents  of  two  lives  in  one." 
Ada,  the  deceiving,  merits  our  scorn ;  Ada,  the  dissipated,  somewhat  of  our  pity.  Dr. 
Clayton  wo  despise  for  his  fickleness,  honor  for  his  after-manliness,  and  congratulate  for 
his  eventual  happiness. — National  American. 

"We  have  read  this  book  with  no  little  satisfaction,  for  it  has  a  reality  about  it  that 
touches  a  spot  not  always  sensitive  to  descriptions  written  with  more  pretence  and  lite- 
rary style.  It  is  particularly  attractive  to  one  with  a  New-England  experience,  as  its 
earlier'chapters  are  drawn  from  life  in  the  country  portions  of  that  region,  and  tho,«o 
immediately  following  are  laid  in  Boston.  We  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  the  book 
is  carelessly  written,  but  that  it  is  "the  touch  of  nature  that  makes  all  men  kin"'  that  is 
Its  especial  charm.  It  does  not  read  like  a  romance,  but  like  a  calm  narration  by  some 
friend  of  events  occurring  in  a  circle  of  one's  old  friends,  and  the  intense  interest  with 
which  we  follow  tlie  narrative  seems  to  be  rather  from  personal  feeling  than  from  the 
usuaI  false  excitement  of  the  overstrained  sentimentalities  of  most  of  the  modern  works 
of  fiction  which  "read  like  a  book."— JVWcor>fc  Advertiser. 

Our  friends  in  the  novel-reading  line  will  gladly  hail  a  new  work  called  "Meadow 
Brook,"  by  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Holmes,  author  of  "  Tempest  and  Sunshine."  and  several  otlier 
well-known  and  popular  works.  "  Meadow  Brook"  is  an  exceedingly  attractive  book, 
and  one  that  will  alternately  call  forth  smiles  and  tears.  The  chapters  delineating  tho 
life  of  the  youthful  "  school-ma'am,"  and  her  experience  in  "boarding  round,"  may  be 
termed  "  rich"  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  We  doubt  if  their  equal  can  be  met  with  in 
any  of  the  novels  of  the  present  day.  The  after-life  of  Eosa  Lee,  the  heroine  of  Meadow 
Brook,  will  be  found  to  be  of  equal,  if  not  of  superior  interest  to  the  earlier  part,  so 
gra[)hically  delineated  in  the  first  half-dozen  chapters. — Providence  Journal. 

Many  of  her  characters  might  be,  if  they  are  not,  drawn  from  life.  We  have  met  a 
little  Jessie  whose  bright,  sweet  face,  winning  ways,  and  sunny,  happy  temper,  madi 
her  a  favorite  with  all  who  knew  her.  Jessie  Lansing  vividly  recalls  our  little  Jessie 
who,  we  hope,  is  still  the  sunbeam  of  her  own  sweet  Southern  home.  Mrs.  Holme? 
draws  her  pictures  from  the  deep  welling  fountain  of  her  own  heart  and  life,  reachin* 
our  hearts  as  well  as  our  imaginations,  and  will  always  meet  a  cordial  reception  when- 
ever she  appears. — Binghamton  Republican. 

"  Meadow  Brook"  is  a  plain  story  of  American  life  and  American  people,  with  capilaT 
illustrations  of  American  habits  and  manners.  .  .  The  story  is  a  well-written  common- 
sense  alfair,  containing  much  that  will  please  the  reader.  Nothing  is  distorted  or  over- 
drawn, but  all  is  calculated  to  impress  the  reader  with  a  belief  \n  the  writer — that  is 
that  she  is  telling  a  true  tale. — Rochester  Advertiser. 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.  Single  copies  sent  by  mail,  postage  paid,  upon 
receipt  of  the  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTON,  BAEEER  &  CO.,  PubHshers, 

25  Park  Row,  New  YorJt 


A  Book  which  will  not  be  forgotten. 

'LENA  RIVERS. 

BY  MARY  J.  HOLMKS, 

Author  of  " Tempeet  and  Sunshine,'"  "The  English  Orphans,"  " The  IIome«le%d 
on  the  Dillside,"  etc  etc. 
1u  One  Volume,  416  Pagres,  12nio.   Price  %i  00. 

A  a  the  social  and  domestic  relations  are  the  great  sources  of  happi- 
ess,  or  its  opposites,  so  those  romances  that  properly  treat  of  tliose  re- 
ations — of  the  virtues  that  adorn,  and  of  the  vices  that  deform  tliera 
—are  clearly  the  most  interesting,  impressive,  and  useful. 

'LEXA  RIVERS  is  an  American  Domestic  Story,  unveiling  in  a  mas- 
terly manner  the  sources  of  social  and  domestic  enjoyment,  or  of  dis- 
quiet and  misery.  By  intermarriages  of  New  England  and  Kentucky 
parties,  a  field  is  opened  to  exhibit  both  Yankee  and houthern  domestic  life, 
for  which  the  talented  authoress  was  well  prepared,  being  of  Yankee 
birth  and  early  education,  and  having  subsequently  resided  in  the  South 
She  was  thus  especially  fitted  to  daguerreotype  the  strictly  dcr/nestie 
and  social  peculiarities  of  both  sections. 

'LENA  RIVERS  AND  THE  PRESS. 

A  work  of  unusual  promise.  Mrs.  Holmes  jiossesses  an  enviable  talent  in  the  study  of 
American  character,  wiiich  is  so  perfectly  developed  by  acute  observation  from  life,  that 
it  would  now  be  impossible  for  her  to  write  an  uninteresting  book. — PkUa.  Sat.  BiUietin-, 

There  still  lingers  the  artist-mind,  enlivening,  cheering,  and  consoling  by  happy 
thoughts  and  i)lea.sant  words;  moving  tbe  heart  alternately  to  ^joy  or  sorrow,  convulsing 
with  laughter,  or  bringing  tears  to  the  eyes. — Itodumter  Avierican. 

The  characters  are  well  drawn,  and  the  tale  is  one  of  interest  It  will  find  many  well 
pleased  readers. — Albany  Statesniani. 

The  story  is  simple,  natural,  truthful. — Rochester  Daily  Advertiser. 

Before  we  were  aware,  we  had  read  the  first  two  chapters.  We  read  on — and  on — and 
It  was  long  after  midnight  when  we  finished  the  volume.  We  could  not  leave  it  Wo 
know  of  no  work  with  which  we  could  compare  "'Lena  Elvers" — so  as  to  form  a  just 
estimation  of  its  merits. — MerrickviUe  Chronicle. 

It  is  not  the  first  of  the  author's  works,  but  it  is  the  best — State  Register. 

To  the  sex  we  commend  it,  on  the  assurance  of  its  merit  volunteered  to  us  by  ladic3 
In  whose  critical  acumen  we  have  the  fullest  confidence. — Buffalo  Express. 

The  story  opens  in  New  England,  and  is  continued  in  Kentucky,  with  very  lively  and 
characteristic  sketches  of  scei;ery  and  character  in  both  States.  It  is  both  good  and  in- 
teresting.— jN'ew  York  Daily  Tiines. 

The  moral  of  the  plot  is  excellent.    Cowardly  virtue,  as  exhibited  by  'Lena's  father, 
may  here  learn  a  lesson  without  suftcring  his  bitter  experience;  while  the  rashne.><s  of 
youth  may  be  warned  against  desperate  acta,  before  a  perfect  understanding  is  had.— 
Bedford  Express. 

This  is  an  American  novel  possessing  merit  far  superior  to  many  which  have  been 
published  during  the  last  two  years.  The  delineations  of  character  are  neatly  and  accu 
rately  drawn,  and  the  tale  is  a  deeply  interesting  one,  contitining  many  and  varied  inci 
aents,  illustrative  of  the  workings  of  the  human  mind,  an<l  of  social  and  domestic  life  ir 
liflferent  parts  of  this  country.  The  lesson  to  be  deduced  from  its  pai'es  Is  a  profitablo 
)ne^which  is  more  than  can  be  said  {»f  many  novels  of  the  day. — Portfolio. 

The  scene  of  this  tale  is  in  Kentucky,  although  Nv  W  England  figures  in  it  somewhat 
And  New  Enslanders  still  more  largeiv.  It  is  written  in  a  lively  style,  and  the  inic.<-.-.t 
's  not  allowed  to  flag  till  the  story  terininates.  One  ol  the  best  things  in  the  book-  .$  Us 
Biy  and  admirable  hits  at  American  aristocracy.  It  quietly  shows  some  of  '-the  pl^t-c.-ian 
vocation,"  which  have,  early  or  late,  been  connected  with  the  "  first  families,"  an<*  gives 
us  a  peep  behind  the  curtain  into  the  private  life  of  those  who  are  often  objects  of  envy. 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.  Single  copies  mailed,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of 
the  price.       c.  M.  SAXTON,  BARKER  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  J''trk  Ro7C,  ^'e<c  i'orl\ 


Natural,  Truthful,  and  Enticing 


THE 

HOMESTEAD  ON  THE  HILLSIDE, 

Jitir  ©i|fr  f  alts. 

BY  MRS.  MARY  J.  HOLMES, 

The  Popular  Author  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine "  and  "The  English  Orphans.'* 
lu  One  Volume,  380  Pages,  12mo.   Price  $1  00. 

The  numerous  and  delighted  readers  of  "Tempest  and  StJNSniNE"  and  "Thk  En- 
oLisii  Orphans  "—Mrs.  Holmes' former  works — will  be  pleased  to  learn  tliat  another 
work  of  their  favorite  author  is  again  within  their  reacli.  That  this  work  will  be  ea- 
gerly sought  and  widely  read,  her  former  brilliant  success  affords  the  surest  suaranty. 

Mrs.  Holmes  is  a  peculiarly  pleasant  and  fascinating  writer.  Her  subjects  are  tiie  home 
and  family  relations.  She  has  the  happy  faculty  of  enlisting  the  sympatliies  and  affec- 
tions of  lier  readers  and  of  holding  their  attention  to  her  pages,  with  deep  and  absorbing 
interest  The  Homestead  oil  the  Hillside  is,  therefore,  attracting  the 
liveliest  attention  ;  and  readers  and 

REVIEWERS  ARE  DECIDED  IN  ITS  PRAISE. 

Any  one  taking  up  the  book  must  take  a  "through  ticket,"  as  tnere  is  no  stopping 
place  "this  side"  of  tlie  last  page.  The  arts  of  the  designing  woman  are  given  in  their 
true  color,  showing  to  what  oily-tongued  hypocrisy  huuianity  will  stoop  for  tlie  further- 
ance of  its  purposes  ;  what  a  vast  amount  of  unliappiness  one  individual  ni.ay  bring  up- 
on an  otherwise  happy  fauiily ;  what  untold  misery  may  result  from  the  groveling  spirit 
of  fancied  revenge,  when  cherished  in  the  bosom  of  its  unhappy  postessor. — Brockport 
Gazette. 

The  talented  author  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine"  has  again  hit  on  a  happy  subject. 
'The  Homestead  on  the  Hillside'"  has  afforded  her  ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  those 
high  descriptive  powers  and  those  striking  portraitures  of  cliaracter  wiiich  have  ren- 
dered her  former  works  such  general  favorites.  In  one  word,  the  book  before  us  is  no 
ordinary  production.— P/a^ac?e^/>/iia  Daily  News. 

Vigor,  variety,  a  boldness  and  freedom  of  style  and  expression,  eccentricity  alike  of 
character  and  incident,  are  among  its  most  striking  peculiarities.  She  has  im|)roved,  in 
the  book  before  us,  upon  her  first  effort,  and  several  of  these  tales  will  not  fail  to  add  to 
her  already  well  established  reputation  as  a  vigorous  and  attractive  writer.— i>o«<.  AUas. 

The  artfulness  and  resignation  exhibited  by  the  Widow  Carter,  in  her  modest  but  not 
unnatural  endeavors  to  gain  the  tender  regard  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  a.s  she  smootiied  the  jiil- 
low  of  his  dying  wife,  deserve  the  especial  attention  of  gentlemen  liable  to  a  like  attempt- 
from  a  simiLar  cause.  They  will  doubtless  see  a  dozen  widows  in  the  very  dress  and  po- 
sition of  the  jihilantliropic  Mrs.  Carter.  There  fe  quite  a  moral  for  young  Misses,  too,  in 
the  book."— Y.  iJutchmun. 

It  cannot  fail  to  please  the  lovers  of  flowing  and  graceful  narrative. — Tribune. 

It  will  be  superfluous  to  say  that  Mrs.  Holmes  is  a  charming  writer. — True  Flag. 

Its  genial  spirit,  its  ready  wit,  its  kindly  feeling,  will  doubtless  meet  with  due  appreci- 
ation from  all  its  readers.  It  touches  with  ready  sympatliy  the  fountains  of  jnirth  and 
tears,  and  one  can  neither  restrain  the  one  nor  withhold  the  other,  in  reading  its  tales  of 
joy  and  sorrow. — Bi'oome  Repub. 

"VVe  have  pernsed  this  book  with  none  but  feelings  of  pleasure;  and  we  have  closed  ita 
pages,  bearing  in  our  heart  its  sweet  spirit  and  eloquent  moral.  We  heartily  commend 
it. — Lockpori  Courier. 

Her  portrayal  of  human  character  and  actions  are  admirable;  lier  style  is  flu<?nt  and 
fascinating,  and  a  most  intense  degree  of  interest  is  ke[>t  u[>  throughout  the  voiuuie. 
But  among  all  itj  excellent  qualities^  most  prominent  ai>peaisits  eloqui-nt  morals.  V.ead 
It,  so  that  you  can  have  it  to  say,  "  I  once  bead  a  good  book." — J.ovkjiort  Detiwcrat 

bold  by  all  Booksellers.  Single  copies  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  upon 
reciupt  of  the  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTON,  BARKER  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Park  Row,  New  Tori:. 


LOTJIS  NAPOLEON, 

AND  TUE 

BOISTA-P^UTE  FAMILY. 

COMPRISING  A 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION, 

THE  CAREER  OF  NAPOLEON,  TUE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  BOUR- 
BONS, THE  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  PHILLIPPE,  TUE  LIFE  AND  CA- 
REER OF  LOUIS  NAPOLEON,  AND  TUE  CAUSES,  EVENTS, 
AND  CONSEQUENCES  OF  THE  CRIMEAN  WAR. 

BY  HENRY  W.  DE  PUY, 

AtrXnOB  OF  "  KOSSUTH  AND  HIS  GENEKAL8,"  "  ETHAN  ALLEN,"  ETa 

One  Volume,  457  pp.  12mo.,  with  Steel  Portraits  of  Louis 
Napoleon  and  the  Empress  Eugenie.    Price  $1  25. 


The  foregoing  is  an  interesting  and  a  reliable  histor}"  of  the  Bona- 
parte farnil}^  from  the  dawn  of  its  celebrity  to  the  present  time.  It 
contains  a  biography,  not  only  of  Napoleon  1.,  Napoleon  HI.,  and  of  the 
other  members  and  branches  of  that  distinguished  family,  but  also  of 
other  prominent  actors  in  French  affairs,  with  such  a  sketch  of  French 
Ivistory  as  is  necessary  to  the  proper  connection  and  clear  understand- 
ing of  the  work. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  REVIEWERS. 

The  Bonaparte  family  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  that  has  ever  appeared  on  the 
earth.  Its  uriirin  was  so  humble,  its  elevation  so  rapid  and  dazzling,  its  power  so  {rreat, 
its  fall  so  signal  and  low,  its  re-appearance  in  the  person  of  Louis  Napoleon  so  unex- 
I)ect*'d  and  potent,  and  its  future  so  portentous,  that  it  at  once  arrests  the  attention  of 
th^  modern  historian,  and  audaciously  takes  its  place  in  the  very  foreground  of  his 
canvas. 

We  are  not  aware  that  any  author  has  before  attempted  to  present  the  entire  Bona- 
parte family  in  one  concise,  yet  clear  and  satisfactory  volume.  It  is  a  work  long  nt  eded, 
and  for  which  every  intelligent  person  constantly  feels  a  pressing  necessity,  llence  we 
heartily  welcome  the  work  before  us.  Its  method  is  excellent,  its  breadth  and  grasp 
very  remarkable,  and  the  style  lucid  and  brilliant.  The  engravings  are  superior,  and 
type,  paper,  and  binding  excellent. — Taunton  Democrat. 

An  interesting  and  instructive  volume.  The  author  has  given  a  graphic  description 
of  the  career  of  the  great  Napoleon,  free  from  that  excessive  flattery  \\lilcl>  distisi:ui>hes 
the  work  of  Abbott ;  and  the  scarcely  less  brilliant  career  of  Louis  Napoleon  is  set  ftirth 
with  admirable  succinctness  and  truthfulness.  The  work  comprises  the  history  o( 
France,  and  in  fact  of  Europe,  from  the  revolution  of '89  to  the  present  time,  of  wiiicli 
the  misfortunes  and  successes  of  Louis  Philippe  form  a  most  interesting  chapter.  The 
biographical  notices  of  the  most  distinguished  characters  that  participated  in  public  af- 
fairs during  that  period,  is  also  a  valuable  feature  of  the  work. — Dem.  Expounder. 

The  style  of  the  author  is  popular  and  attractive,  and  his  book  blends  the  interest  <.f 
history  with  that  of  biography.  Portraits  of  the  present  Emperor  and  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  finely  engraved,  adorn  the  volume,  which  is  handsomely  issued  in  all  respccta. 
— Boston  Telfgrapti. 

The  notices  of  the  various  members  of  the  Bonaparte  family  are  written  with  clear- 
ness, as  are  also  the  sketches  of  Louis  XVIII.,  Charles  X.,  Louis  Philippe,  Theirs,  La- 
martine,  (Jaizot,  Abdel-Kader,  and  numerous  others  whose  nam<'S  are  familiar^  with 
French  movements  during  tiie  i)resent  century.  The  outline  of  the  Kussian  War  is 
Impartially  given,  a coiniiiendation  which  may  be  generally  accorded  to  the  entire  vol- 
ume.— TuoMAS  Francis  Meagher. 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.    Mailed,  post-paid,  to  any  add.-oss,  upon  receipt  of  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTOINT,  BAE-KER  &  CO.,  Publishcrrs, 

2.'  I'ttrk  Rcic,  JS\hc  York. 


THE  BOOI£  OF  THE  AGE. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME, 

OR 

MEN  AND  THINGS  I  HAVE  SEEN  IN  ETTROPE  AND  AMERICA. 

BY  S.  G.  GOODRICH, 
Tho  veritable  "  Peter  Parley,"  author  of  "  The  History  of  All  Nations,"  &c.  &c. 
In  two  volumes,  1105  pp.  large  12rao.,  25  Original  Engravings,  including 
an  accurate  Steel  Portrait  of  the  Author.    Pi  ice,  Black  or  Scarlet 
Cloth,  $3  00 ;  Scarlet  Cloth,  Gilt  Ed2:es,  $4  00 ;  Half  Calf,  Marble 
Edges,  $5  00 ;  Full  Calf,  Gilt  Edges,  $7  00. 

Tins  work  embraces  the  prominent  public  events  of  the  last  half  century,  both  at  home 
and  abroad;  a  complete  Autobiography  of  the  author — his  early  days,  education,  and  lit* 
erary  career;  and  an  amount  of  original  curious,  and  valuable  Personal  Incident,  Anec- 
dote, and  Description,  seldom,  if  ever,  met  with  iu  a  single  work.  It  is  the  Autiior's 
Life-long  Work,  and  notliing  superior,  if  anything  equal  to  it,  in  blended  amusement 
and  instruction,  has  ever  been  published.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  the  author  and  editor  of 
170  Voi limes,  of  which  over  seven  millions  of  copies  have  been  sold!  and 
this,  the  sreat  work  of  his  life,  embodies  the  condensed  substance  of  his  ample  Literary 
mid  Practical  Etcperience ;  the  WarwWi  England  in  1812-14,  in  which  Mr.  Goodrich 
was  a  private  soldier;  the  Hartford  Convention,  whose  operations  took  place  under  his 
immediate  observation,  and  with  most  of  the  members  of  which  he  was  personally  ac- 
quainted. Embracing  curious  and  interesting  details  respecting  Old  JefferKonian  De- 
mocracy, Old  Federalism,,  and  Conjiecticut  Blue  Lights;  curious  and  marvellous 
events  connected  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  Religious  Sects  in  the  United  States; 
with  descriptions  of  the  French  Revolution  o/'lS48,  and  Louis  A'apuleon's  Coup  d'Etat, 
both  of  which  the  author  witnessed.  Also,  a  full  account  of  the  "  PETER  PARLEY"? 
TALES,"  of  which  Four  Millions  have  been  sold. 

In  the  course  of  the  work  will  be  found  a  Gallery  of  Pen  and  Ink  Portraits  of 
over  Tico  Hundred  Celebrated  /V/'.sons— Presidents,  Vice-Presidents,  Kings,  Queens, 
Emperors.  Soldiers,  Poets,  Wits,  Enthusiasts,  Physicians,  Preacliers,  Lawyers,  Politi- 
cians. Diplomatists.  &c. — all  described  from  personal  acquaintance  or  observation — among 
whom  are  the  following; 

George  IV.      Lamartine,       Henry  Clay,    Duke  of  "Wellington,  Benjamin  West, 
William  IV.     Victor  Hugo,    Dan"!  Webster,  Lord  Brougham,       Fenimore  Cooper, 
Prince  Albert,  Alex.  Duma.s,  M.  Van  Buren,  Sir  J.  Mackintosh,  Percival, 
Queen  Victoria  Alad.  Catalini,  M.  Fillmore,     King  Riiio  Rhio,  or  Brainerd, 
Sir  W.  Scott,     Mad.  Malibran,  J.  C.  Fremont,     Dog  of  Dogs,  Willis, 
Lord  Jeffrey,    Pasta,  General  Scott,  Louis  Phillippe,  Hawthorne, 

J.  G.  Lockhart,  Talma,  Prof  Silliman,  Louis  Napoleon,       Mrs.  Sigourney, 

W.  Blackwood  Mile.  Mars,      Eli  Whitney,    Tlios.  A.  Emmett,     Miss  Sedgwick, 
Hannah  More,  Rachel,  Judge  Kent,     Bishop  Seabury,       Mrs.  Child, 

Dr.  Chalmers,   Ristori,  Geo.  Cabot,      liishop  Wainwright,  Charles  Spragae, 

Edw.  Irving,     Pope  Pius  IX.  H.  G.  Otis,       Dr.  Mason,  Longfellow, 
Thos.  Hoo'i,      Pres't  Monroe,  Jas.  Hillhouse,  Dr.  Romeyn,  Pierpont, 
Louis  XVII L  J.  Q.  Adams,     Uriah  Tracy,     Archibald  Gracie,     T.  Buchanan  Reodk 
Charles  X.        Dr.  Dwight,     Nath'l  Smith,   Minot  Sherman,       Jacob  Perkins. 
To  all  which  is  added,  the  Author's  recent 

ANECDOTES  OF  TRAVEL, 

In  Englan(i,  Scotland,  Ireland,  France  and  Italy,  together  with  a  Complete  Catalogfi. 
OF  TiiK  Author's  Works,  now  for  the  first  time  published;  witli  curious  oommentariM 
on  tho  Counterfeit  Parley  Books,  got  up  in  London. 

SOLD  BY  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 
Singl9  Copies  mailed,  POST-PAID,  to  any  address. 

ruclished  by 

C.  M.  SAXTOH",  BARKEK  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Park     no,  New  York. 


THE  LIVES 

OF 

THE  TMEE  MRS.  JUDSONS, 
Hissiaiiarifs  to  §imnalj. 

ARABELLA   M.  WILLSON. 
l^EW  AND  ENLARGED  EDITION. 

COMPLETED  TO  THE  DEATH  OF  EMILY  C.  JUDSON. 
Witb  Steel  Portraits,  381  pp.,  16mo.,  Mnslin.   Trice  $1,35. 


OPINIONS  OF  REVIEWERS. 

Dr.  Judson  was  not  onlj-  a  celebrated  man  and  missionaiy,  but  his 
wives  have  been  worthy  of  him,  and,  of  course,  have  been  celebi-aLed 
women.  Many  of  the  details  of  the  missions  in  wliich  tliese  individu- 
als labored,  and  which  are  given  in  their  separate  memoirs,  have 
been  omitted  in  this  work,  and  the  lives  and  characters  of  the  women 
themselves  are  set  before  iis.  The  circulation  of  the  volume  cannot 
but  be  useful. — Church  Herald. 

A  rapid  examination  of  the  book  has  left  the  impression  on  our  minds 
that  the  author  has  performed  her  task  successfull}' ;  weaving  faithful 
and  graceful  narratives  out  of  materials  furnished  to  her  hand  by  pre- 
vious biographers. — Macedonian. 

It  will  command  a  wide  circulation  among  the  numerous  class  in  our 
community,  interested  in  missionary  enterprises.  It  possesses,  also,  a 
literary  value,  which  commends  it  to  the  public  attention. — Trar^script. 

It  is  one  effect  of  the  missionary  cause  that  it  has  given  to  the  church 
and  the  world  some  of  the  finest  models  of  female  character.  IS'ot  a  small 
number  of  American  ladies  who  might  have  spent  their  lives  in  circum- 
stances of  ease,  and  in  circles  of  refinement,  in  their  own  country,  have 
dieerfully  surrendered  everything  to  the  conviction  of  dut}^  and  have 
gone  to  live  and  die  in  heathen  lands  ;  and  in  thus  devoting  themselves 
to  the  best  of  causes,  they  have  become  examples  of  glowing  and  liero- 
ic  fortitude  in  honor  of  Christ,  which  may  be  considered  as  marking 
a  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  their  sex.  Dr.  Judson's  three  wives,  of 
wliom  we  have  an  interesting  account  in  this  volume,  belong  to  tins 
favored  class  of  females;  and  no  Christian  can  read  these  sketches 
without  feeling  that  each  of  tliem  is  deservedly  embalmed  in  the  grut- 
iiu'^e  of  the  church.  They  differed  essentially *in  some  of  their  natural 
qualities,  but  they  were  alike  in  the  we  grand  point,  of  entire  devotion 
to  the  missionary  work.  There  is  little  danger  of  multiplying  judicious 
works  of  this  kind  beyond  the  demand. — Puritan  Recorder. 

SOLD  BY  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 
Single  Copies  mailed,  POST-PAID,  to  any  addaess. 

Published  by 

C.  M.  SAXTOlSr,  BARKER  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Paa-k  lime.  New  York. 


GREAT  AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY  I 


WEBSTER 


AND 


HIS  lASTEH-PIECES 

fis  fife  aiitr  §xmi  ^^ml^ts 

BY  B.  F.  TEFFT,  T>.  D.,  LB.  D. 
Steel  Portrait,  Two  Volumes,  1032  pp.  1?kuo.   J  iwAee,  $2  aOt 
THE  LIFE  EMBRACES 


).  The  Webster  Family. 

i.  "Webster  the  Boy  and  Youth. 

8,  Webster  tlie  Student. 

4.  Webster  the  Lawyer. 

5.  Webster  in  his  Domestic  Eelations. 


6.  Wel)stei  the  Lepcl»tor. 

7.  Webster  the  Cit  7.en. 

8.  Wef)Ster  the  .'Vrator. 

9.  \\  ebntei  the  O/ator. 

10.  Webster  the  Executive  Officer. 


THE  SPEECHES  EMBRACE 


1.  Argument  in  the  Dartmouth  College 

Case. 

2.  Piymouth  Oration— First  Settlement  of 

New  England. 
8.  Speech  on  the  Greek  Revolution. 
4  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Oration. 

5.  Funeral  Oration — Adams  and  Jefferson. 

6.  Lecture  before  Mechanic's  Institution, 


7.  The  Character  of  Washington. 

8.  Speech  at  Niblo's  Garden,  New  York. 

9.  Letter  on  Impressment. 

10.  Keply  to  Hayne  on  Foot's  Resolution. 

11.  Constitution  not  a  Compact — Keply  to 
Calhoun. 

12.  Constitution  and  the  Union— 7th  of 
j  Mnrch  Speech. 

Boston.  1 

We  receive  these  volumes  -with  especial  satisfaction.  Dr.  Tefft's  book,  we  doubt  not, 
will  be  a  popular  one.  It  has  that  brilliancy  of  touch  and  that  vivacity  of  style  which 
are  always  popular  with  the  great  body  of  readers  -  BosUm  Tmveler. 

Such  a  life  of  the  great  statesman  was  needed.  There  is  no  other  as  cheap  yet  elegant 
form  in  which  Webster's  gi-eat  efforts  are  to  be  found.  They  will  sell  well,  we  doubt  not. 
The  more  of  them  there  are  distributed,  the  better  it  is  for  our  intelligence,  our  political 
virtue  and  the  public  weal. — iV.  Y.  Times, 

Dr.  TefTthas  displayed  much  industry,  versatility  and  discrimination  in  his  biography, 
and  good  taste  in  the  selection  of  Mr.  Webster's  efforts,  and  these  volumes  cannot  but 
meet  with  a  favorable  reception  from  the  public. — Boston  Atlas. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  the  book  will  be  very  gienc-rally  sought  and  read  by  an  appre- 
ciiitinjj  public.  It  must  be  regarded  as  a  valuable  a<ldition  to  the  standard  literary  works 
of  tlie  li'ines.  The  author  is  exceedingly  happy  in  his  use  of  lanjruage.  There  is  nothing 
laborious,  dull  or  difficult  in  the  perusal;  but  on  the  contrary,  it  possesses  an  affabit?, 
congenial  spirit  which  is  entirely  winning.  We  have  been  peculiarly  interested  with 
the  ilesoription  of  Mr.  Webster's  charact  ?r  contained  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  fiiography 
The  author  enters  into  the  subject  witii  bis  whole  soul,  delineating  faithfully  those  traits 
peculiar  to  the  man,  expanding  upon  those  qualities  of  mind  which  constituted  his  great- 
ness.   The  work  is  handsomely  got  up,  and  is  ht  to  adorn  any  library. — Buffalo  Rep. 

We  do>ibt  whether  a  better  biography  will  ever  meet  the  eyes  of  the  student,  or  en- 
rich the  library  of  the  man  of  lect/fs.  The  style  -S  polished,  clear,  and  interesting  in  « 
high  Oegrr-e. — Boston  Eve.  Gazette. 

The  best  life  of  Webster  that  has  ever  appeared.— J5«/'a to  Democracy. 

Sold  by  all  Bookodlers.   Mailed,  post-paid.,  to  any  address,  npon  receipt  of  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTON,  BABKEK  &,  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Pwrk  Row,  New  York. 


